


The Kelpie

by 8Cyborg, TheWriterValkyrie



Series: Saga of Steel [3]
Category: Warframe
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alad didn't sign up for this but he's here for it, Crack, Crackhead Science, Dubious Science, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, For Science!, Gen, Mawframe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenting is hard man, Science Experiments, Space Mom has Good Ideas, Unrequited Love, Valkyr is mama cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:35:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 75,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23354050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8Cyborg/pseuds/8Cyborg, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWriterValkyrie/pseuds/TheWriterValkyrie
Summary: The Lotus, in her wisdom, asks Alad V to make a Warframe. He agrees to do it, if reluctantly, but one can't just make a Warframe without running into a few issues.Update: Epilogue is outUpdate #2: If anyone wants to talk to me, my discord is 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓉, 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓎𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒜𝓁𝒹𝓊𝒾𝓃#3029Update #3: Thank you all so much for 1,000 hits! <3
Series: Saga of Steel [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743274
Comments: 68
Kudos: 75





	1. Prologue: The Lotus's Favor

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to my Warframe buddy for writing this with me
> 
> Comments and constructive critique always welcome.
> 
> Update: WE'RE BACK BABY!

Alad wasn’t doing much at the time he got the call, just trying to make Nef Anyo’s head explode by the heat of his insults. Conveniently, Nef was also trying to do the same to him. The two of them had been going at it for quite a while, and they showed no signs of slowing down. It had become almost clockwork; one of them would call the other to ask for supplies, knowing full well the answer, and the other would say something, escalating the conversation. It may even be safe to say that they both enjoyed it. And so, when he heard the “call waiting” tone, he was not ready for what was to come.

_ "Alad."  _ A gentle voice, soft and feminine, and decidedly not the man who chose to dress like a Void Key. 

“Is that you, Lotus? I am having a discussion with Nef, can it wait?”

“ _ Alad, your ‘discussions’ are just an excuse to yell at each other. I have a favor to ask of you."  _ She chastised.  _ "As amusing as it is to hear you two prod at each other. I had no idea your hate ran so black and bitter."  _

“I don’t think Nef knows just how much I hate him. In fact, I keep calling him just to say so!”

"Listen here, you kavat-brained  _ lout _ ." Nef Anyo started before the Lotus cut him off.

_ "Hush, we have business far more important than anything you've done to discuss. You can get back to your squabbling in...let's say a few hours."  _

Nef simply sulked, closing the call after frowning at Alad.

“So what is this favor, Lotus?” Alad questioned, rubbing his hands together.

_ "The mission in that Orokin hall was a complete disaster. Some of my best were reduced to near madness and sheer exhaustion. I cannot let that happen again. I won't abandon the ones still sleeping in their ice, but I also won't throw my children into a hellhall for  _ **_ten days._ ** _ " _

“I agree, Lotus, that mission was exhausting. I had to eat an Infested, do you know how disgusting that was? The damn place made even Oberon snap, and do not get me started on the dreams I had!”

_ "Indeed, it caused them much harm and might have killed you, which is something I cannot have happening. I am, as you Corpus like to say, very interested in protecting my investment." _

__ "And here I am thinking that you're starting to like me." 

_ "I do like you. You can be quite a good man when you're not surrounded by the rest of the vipers."  _

__ Alad cleared his throat, blushing. “Anyway, if we're not relying solely on the cryopods anymore, what else  _ are _ we relying on?"

_ "You."  _ Lotus answered, a wry smile on her face _. _

__ _ “ _ Um…me, Lotus? What can  _ I _ do?”

_ "You can make a Warframe."  _

Alad just stood there, sure he didn’t hear right. “Um...you...you just told me to make a Warframe, is that right?”

_ "Mmhmm. That is exactly what I asked of you." _

__ "Excuse me, but I just have one question. WHY!?"

The Lotus paused for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to tell him. On one hand, it would be easier, but on the other, it would lead to an avalanche of questions she might not be able to answer, and she wasn't even entirely sure of the truth of the information as she got it from her father, as anything said by Hunhow was taken with an Earth ocean's worth of salt at this point. She ultimately decided to hold that particular piece of Alad's long forgotten puzzle to herself for the time being.

_ "Listen closely, Alad, I say all of this because it is true, not because I wish to flatter you. You are a very intelligent and talented man. That's why I wanted you with us. Not only were you a constant thorn in both mine and the Tennos' side, but your intellect, skill, and remarkable ability to learn quickly and adapt it, when added to our ranks, could solve issues just like this. Simply put, I believe you  _ do  _ have the knowledge and ability to pull this off. If you can repurpose already existing Warframes into your projects, however gruesome it might be, this should only be a small step up.” _

__ “But with those projects, I didn’t have to build from scratch. I simply had to ‘reprogram,’ if you will. I don’t even know where to begin, let alone decide on a course of action.”

_ "I'll tell you what you need to know, so you might want to take some notes. This will be the most important project of your life. I want you to treat this as seriously as raising a child."  _

“What do you mean, raising a child? That isn’t something I have experience with.”

_ “The Warframes have flesh inside them, you know this. You’ll have to grow that flesh, give it Helminth.” _

“You’re saying I have to clone an orokin baby? Is that it?”

_ “Essentially, yes. It doesn’t need to be Orokin persay, but under the circumstances I don’t see where else you would find a subject that would be both suitable and willing, so you’ll have to make one yourself.”  _

“...Um...how...you do know what you are saying, right?” 

_ “I know perfectly well what I’m saying. It’s not as impossible as you think. You might have to take a couple pages out of Tyl Regor’s book, but it is absolutely doable or else I wouldn’t have asked in the first place.” _

“First of all, are you aware how insane you sound? Second, where the hell would I even find Orokin DNA?”

_ “Yes, I am, and the Warframes. It’s more readily available than you know. Get some from then, get Tyl Regor’s processes and get to work. Whatever you feel necessary for this, ask for it. If it works, we won't have another Golden Halls Incident. I’m counting on you, Alad.” _

He didn’t respond right away, and Lotus looked down to see him already drawing up plans. She smiled warmly


	2. Assembly Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If one wants to clone an Orokin, one needs more than a tube and some elbow grease.

“What in the name of the Lotus am I watching?” Ivara questioned Oberon, walking up to the scene. In front of them was Umbra, yelling the armor off Nezha, who was hunched over like a kavat with a stolen fish.

“In all honesty, I couldn’t tell you, and I was here for it. I guess Umbra’s not having a very good day, because he doesn’t usually act like this. Excalibur excused himself the moment things got heated, so now I’m stuck watching them argue.” 

“Honestly, what the hell were you thinking? What made you think that screwing with the alarms on spy missions was a good idea? You’re lucky worse didn’t happen!” 

“Umbra,” Ivara glided up to him, her translucent skirt swishing around her, and tapped him on the shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“This pint sized fool made us fail our mission!” he snapped. “We’re not there just to look around!”

“Ah c'mon, it’s not that big a deal!” the smaller frame protested, but Umbra was having none of it.

“Not a big deal? That was valuable information we could have used!”

“Calm down you two, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. Everyone misses a few spy missions now and again.” she said gently. Umbra sighed. 

“Ivara, it was data that could have led us to some valuable supply caches, but no, he just had to activate every single alarm in the whole compound.” he fumed.

Oberon sighed, and just when he was thinking this was the strangest the day would get, a communications alert came through. From Alad. Oberon stared at it for a good long while before accepting. 

"Hello?"

"Get your jellyfish and come over, I got a job for you." 

"My jellyfish?" Oberon asked, confused. Alad sounded sleep deprived and also slightly drunk. 

"Fine, your girlfriend, and bring Umbra if he's available. Think trustworthy."

"When did you sleep last?"

"Few days ago, why?"

"And suddenly everything makes sense."

"Are you in or not?" Alad asked impatiently.

"We're coming, hold your credits."

"Always do."

Alad hung up and Oberon wondered what in the system could he possibly want that would keep him up for days at a time. 

After some time, Alad still hadn’t told them what he was working on. He was busy running around the laboratory, checking diagrams and writing equations on a large digital chalkboard, seemingly having forgotten that the group was even there.

“Well, Alad, are you going to tell us what you’re doing?” Ivara asked politely. Alad didn’t notice, engrossed in his work. Eventually, Garuda snuck up behind him, and shook him suddenly by his shoulders. Alad jumped, letting out a surprisingly high-pitched scream, then immediately turned around, fuming.

“Did you get possessed by Valkyr? I thought we were done with scaring the soul out of my body!”

“I was unaware you had one.” She answered, deadpan.

“Well, warn me next time! I am doing delicate work here!” he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Delicate scribbles, it looks more like.” 

“It may look like scribbles to the uneducated, but what I am doing is miles above what they teach in school on Cetus.”

“You haven’t told us what that is, Alad,” Umbra piped up. “You invited us here, and we’ve been waiting for you to tell us. So tell us.”

“I will tell you, but first you have to promise me two things. One, that you won’t tell anyone else, and two, that you won’t make me take an unplanned exit of this life.”

The other frames looked at each other, wondering what he was planning. Finally, Ivara spoke. “We promise, Alad.”

“Ok, ok, keep your head on. Your dearly beloved Space Mother asked me to build one of you.” 

There was no response from them, just speechless, motionless shock out of disbelief.

“What,” Garuda said, angrily. “Why would she ask you to do this?”

“If I knew that I would have bloody told you. But no, she just pops in one day and tells me ‘go clone an orokin and make a Warframe, fuck you.’ without any further instructions. So now I’ve been awake for roughly three days trying to figure out how the hell to actually accomplish this.” 

“So, let me get this straight: OUR Lotus asked you to build another Warframe.” Umbra said, pointing at themselves. He wasn’t sure what to think.

“Well, if you know of another Lotus, feel free to tell me.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume this is because of the Golden Halls Incident, right?” Oberon asked.

“Oh yeah, that’s what she told me. She doesn’t want to rely on having the pods open at a specific time.”

“That’s fair, but are we just abandoning them altogether then?” Ivara questioned.

“As far as she told me, no. She just...wants something a bit more reliable. It’s not by much considering what we’re dealing with here, but I have learned not to question your dear Natah.” 

“Do you at least have any ideas?” 

“Well I have one, and the good news is that it seems likely to work. The bad news is that it requires a lot of DNA from you, and some...thievery. No, scratch that, a lot of thievery. Which is why I need you.” 

“Um...what do you need us to do, exactly?” Oberon asked, somewhat nervous.

“I’m going to need blood from your jellyfish, Garuda, Ember, and Equinox. I’m going to need you to do a lot of spy missions in Tyl Regor’s labs. Like...a lot. So many that you might as well mug him at that point.” 

Garuda and Ivara looked uncomfortably at each other. “What do you need our DNA for, Alad?” Ivara finally asked, quietly. 

“Well I have to make her out of something. What do you expect me to do, just magically have the components to build an entire child?”

“I expected something, I don’t know, different. Not having to build one out of nothing.”

"Well that's how it works, supposedly. I don't know, I never cloned anything before."

“Just tell us what you need us to do, Alad, before we all lose our minds,” Umbra impatiently spoke up. Alad handed Ivara and Garuda a pair of needles each.

"Firstly, get me that blood, go find Equinox and Ember. Secondly, I want you to go to my old lab on Jupiter and get my research from Valkyr. It might help me." 

“So, off to Jupiter, then,” Umbra said to Oberon. “Is there anyone you want to bring, besides us here?”

"I think us four should manage. We'll get you your blood afterwards."

“You’d better, this project is depending on it.” Alad rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “You know, I haven’t felt like this since I started work on Zanuka.” 

“Just so we’re clear, this isn’t an elaborate joke, right?” Umbra questioned, glaring at him. 

“I have a better chance of getting infested again than surviving the aftermath of what you’d do to me if it was a prank.”

“Just making sure you understand.” he replied, poking Alad in the chest, almost piercing through. Said Corpus was looking a few shades paler than normal. 

“I understand, nothing to worry about,” Alad said with a hint of a shaky voice, looking worried.

“Let’s go then. Girls, you go hunt down Ember and Equinox, Umbra and I will head to Jupiter.”

“Sounds good.” Ivara waved over her shoulder at him.

Oberon turned to Umbra, serious. “Ready to face the Gas City? I’ve heard it’s a very caustic environment.”

“Just don’t step in anything if you’re not sure what it is.”

“That’s what I get for asking you.” he sighed and ran to Ivara, giving her a brief but tight embrace. 

“Oberon, if you’re not too busy, we should get this over with as soon as possible,” Umbra said, impatiently waiting by the door.

"Oh hush up, it's not my fault Garuda has to follow you around for five hours before you show a hint of affection for her."

Umbra merely headed through the door, checking his weapons. As soon as everyone left, Alad got up and began pacing a groove in the floor.


	3. The Last Person you Wanted to See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Digging through the past can lead to meet interesting new people in the present.

Arriving at the lab, Oberon and Umbra paused, peering inside. They had almost been caught by guards several times after having decided to go through the Gas City as stealthily as possible. Taking back alleys, rooftops, anything to avoid people in general, they had eventually gotten to the lab, despite a few hiccups. Now, they had only to find a way to open the door, and get the research that lay inside.

“Hey, wait a minute, it’s already open. That’s...weird”

“ _ What? _ ” Alad yelled over communications. “Someone must have busted in!”

“Are you sure you didn’t just forget to lock the door on the way out?” Umbra asked him. 

“I  _ always _ lock my doors, Umbra. Get in there and tell me that the research is still there.”

Umbra and Oberon entered the lab, guided by Alad. It was empty of any life, and almost completely silent. They sallied deeper into it. Half an hour later, they came to a massive room open to the outside with quite a lot of dried blood straining the ground. Oberon shivered and tapped his hoof on the ground impatiently.

“Corpus facilities are so creepy when they’re empty. At least this one isn't filled with dead bodies.” 

“No, but there is a lot of blood on the floor.” he said, sweeping his arm at the large dried splatters and the cat-like footprints of Valkyr.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Oberon looked around. “This is where we fought Alad with Valkyr. I don’t think you were with us, but Excalibur and Loki were. It was...not pretty. His whole front was just...completely shredded. The first time I ever really got a look inside a human...Corpus...whatever Alad is.” Oberon shuddered again, and Alad was strangely quiet. He inadvertently traced over the rough field of scars, feeling them even through his coat.

They kept looking around the lab for any sign of the data they were looking for.

“Alad, how deep did you bury your secrets?” Umbra finally asked, frustrated.

“Deep enough. Don’t get your scarf in a twist, you should get there soon.”

The two kept walking. Eventually, Umbra stopped, motioning to Oberon for him to stop as well.

“What? What’s going on?” Oberon asked, impatient.

“Listen,” Umbra whispered.

“...Is that who I think it is?” 

“I don’t know who you think it is, but I’m going to find out who it really is.” Umbra started sneaking down the hallway toward an open door. Oberon followed, and the talking became clearer.

“That snivelling son of a bitch!” the unmistakable voice of the Prophet of Profit himself. “Damn Alad and his passwords! If I ever get hold of that slimy bastard I’ll wring his neck like a wet towel!” 

“How about trying something about his Zanuka Project, Uncle? He was very passionate about that one.”

“Great, except that failed and he's been missing in action for ages. And what do you know about passwords, anyway? Just because your own password is your birthday doesn’t make you any sort of authority on passwords.”

“...you know about that?”

“Of course I know about that! It’s my business to know things like that!’’

“No way…” Oberon whispered, peering around the corner.

“What is it?” Umbra asked, not liking Oberon’s tone of voice.

“...it’s Nef Anyo. And his nephew Derf.”

“His nephew  _ who _ now?” Umbra said, shockingly sounding like he was trying to hold in laughter

“His nephew’s name is Derf. I know, but it really is.”

“Well, it could be worse. Can you see if they have the data?”

“Considering that he’s currently raving about Alad’s locks, I’d assume no.”

“Alright then. Do we do this loud or quiet?”

“As much as I’d like to say quiet, I don’t actually see any other way in. There’s no vents or any other way to sneak around. At the very least, we should cause some kind of disturbance that’ll stun them for a few seconds.” Oberon said, tapping his hoof, thinking.

Umbra spent a second sizing up their surroundings. Nef and Derf were between them and the door, with nowhere for them to go, except forward.

“I have an idea. You’re going to hate it.” 

“It can’t be worse than what I was thinking, Bambi.”

“Ok firstly, don’t call me that. Second, what were you thinking?”

Umbra shook his head. “I wanna hear yours first.”

“I’m like 90% sure I can ram the door down, or at least ram a hole through it. Yours?”

“That is very preferred to mine, personally. It was to take out Nef and Derf, whether knocking them out, or permanently removing them.”

“Yeah, my idea is better. I can see why Garuda loves you so much.” 

“Don’t get snippy, just do your thing.”

“Well Ivara did always love to call me a stubborn, hard headed goat. Now I get to prove her right.” he quipped, backing up a ways. Umbra got out of the way.

“See you on the other side, hopefully. If this goes wrong...don’t tell anyone, please. I have a reputation to maintain.”

“I understand. Have at it.” Umbra nodded to him.

Oberon did a kind of low bullet jump before surging forward, his hooves hitting the ground so hard they left dents in the metal floor, flying like an arrow, punching straight through the thick steel door and continuing his gallop towards Alad’s most secretive research.

Umbra, who was mildly surprised, followed quickly. 

"You'll have to excuse this intrusion, gentlemen, but the Lotus asked first and we’re set not to disappoint her.” Oberon said with his usual calm demeanor.

“You and your thrice damned, meddling Lotus. Can’t she keep out of our business for once?”

"Stuff it down your pie-hole, Nef. You'll only leave with it over our dead bodies." Umbra took up a fighters' stance.

"Umbra, I'm sure we can come to an agreement with them, especially since they probably don't want to get beaten up by you." Oberon laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just keep calm, we'll talk this through." 

“I think not.” Nef said, signalling to where Derf once stood, as he had dashed off for the stairs to the basement.

“You noticed you’re pointing at nothing, right?” Oberon sighed. “Better hurry, Umbra.”

Umbra leapt into a dead run, sprinting down the stairs.

“Sometimes, I just wonder what did I do to deserve such an imbecile for a nephew,” Nef complained with a noticeably exhausted tone.

“Sometimes I wonder what you  _ haven’t  _ done, Nef,” Oberon said hotly. 

Meanwhile, Umbra and Derf were sprinting down the stairs toward the basement. Little did they know, the stairs went on for quite some time, and both of them fell several times. Not to mention the punches, trips, and general bad-mouthing hurled at each other.

As is so happened, Derf reached the bottom first. Heading quickly to the terminal, he brought up the screen, just to see a password slot.

“What?! Damnit! Uncle, Uncle Nef! Please respond!”

Umbra slid to a stop just behind the errant young Corpus, looming over him.

“Looks like Alad was at least smart enough not to leave this thing open and begging to be hacked.”

“Stow it, you! Uncle, please pick up!”

“Where is all that whimpering coming from?” Oberon asked Nef.

“My apologies, my nephew thinks I can just pick up the line when you’re still right in front of me.”

Just then, another communications alert sounded off for Nef. His already pale face went white as a sheet.

“Interesting, I didn’t know skin could turn that color.” Oberon observed. “Who is it?”

Nef looked around, distracted. “I...I need to go.”

“Ah yes, good man, abandon the minor with two walking death machines.” 

“You said you  _ wouldn’t  _ kill him!”

“True, but that could always change. Umbra can get...testy.”

“If you kill him, you and your people will answer to the complete Corpus army. You have my word on this.” Nef said in a shaky manner.

“His death would be on your hands, since you brought him here, and since he’s your nephew, not your son, I can only assume whoever his real father is, isn’t going to be too pleased to find out he died while you were trying to raid an ex-college’s lab. Just pick up the damn line. I wanna see what makes you turn snow-colored.”

“Or what, you’ll-”

“Oh, I won’t be doing anything. It seems like you’ll be in more trouble for not picking up is all. Which means whoever it is is mostly likely going to break your spine like a glowstick when you get out.”

The alert went off again, and managed to sound angry. If Nef turned any paler, he’d be translucent. 

“Oh sweet Profit, he’s going to kill me.” Nef sounded like he was about to lose his mind.

“Uncle! Damnit, why aren’t you answering?!” Derf kept screaming, hitting the side of his helmet out of desperation, trying to pick up any unlikely call.,

“Nevermind your uncle, get out of my way!” Umbra walked over and simply smacked him out of the way, Derf ending up as a crumpled pile on the floor, moaning. Umbra then called Alad, who picked up surprisingly quickly.

“What the hell do you want, I’m in the middle of trying to pirate Tyl Regor’s research here!” Alad asked, very annoyed.

“What I want, Alad, is the passcode to your basement terminal. You know, the one you sent us here to pull the data off of?”

“Oh yes. That. Just...don’t be horrified when you get in. I’ll send it to you.”

“You do that, Alad. I will refrain from judgement until I see for myself.”

“Alright, you have it, check your inbox. I’d also ask you to not tell Valkyr what you find, in case she decides she’s not actually as up for forgiving me as she says.”

Umbra was now wondering what could possibly be so twisted, so monstrous that it could make Valkyr not feel so forgiving towards him if she found out.

“Aside from the research, I need you to get one other thing, and I need you to get out of there as soon as possible so it stays usable. I’ll tell you more when you get in there. One last thing, make sure the kid’s ok. His father hates Nef as much as I do, and as the saying goes ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”

Umbra looked back down to the floor, where Derf was still rolling in pain, albeit in a very obvious exaggerated fashion.

“The brat’s fine. “

“He’s not so bad, just...really needs to stay away from his uncle. I wouldn’t be surprised if his dad was ringing said living Void Key up right now to yell at him.”

“Right, yes, let’s just get this over with.” 

Umbra opened his inbox and looked for the passcode Alad had sent him. When he finally found it, it read: NefAnyoSucksDick420. Umbra just stood there for a moment before he let out a slight chuckle.

“Oho, you  _ do _ have emotions! Nidus owes me five credits!”

“Don’t let it go to your head, we’re not out of here yet. Now tell me where to go, these things always mess with me.”

“Walk five steps ahead and let the door open.”

“I know how entering rooms works, Alad. Before I do, I just have one question. Why do you hate Nef so much?”

“It’s complicated, and also not something I’m obligated to tell you.” 

“How about I just don’t move until you tell me?”

“Umbra, it is genuinely unimportant to this mission, please.”

“Fine, but I’ll get it out of you one day.”

“I’m more likely to get a girlfriend than tell you.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” Umbra walked forward five steps.

Alad fell silent as he entered, looking around. The light was dim, and the air smelled of dust, old blood, and misery. Straight in front of Umbra there was an operating table, stained with dried gore and the odd piece of flesh. Restraints at the four ends lay broken or torn off completely, and suddenly it became very clear why Alad was hesitant about this place. 

"Oh this brings back memories, and all of last week's nightmares."

“Good or bad memories, Alad?”

"Mixed."

“Okay, just tell me what to do.” Umbra was getting antsy, standing in the same room that Alad had performed his experiments in.

"Ok, you see that glass divider? That's another room, go in there. All my data is on one computer, as well as the other item, which is in a black biocontainer."

“Alright.” Umbra stepped into the other room, heading over to the computer. “Is there a password on this, Alad? It wouldn’t surprise me.”

"Just hack it."   
  


“Will do.” As Umbra took to hacking, his eyes wandered around the room, coming to rest on the biocontainer. Just as he started to wonder what was inside, the hack completed, drawing him back to the screen. “Do you just want all of this on a data drive?”

"Yeah, that'll be alright. Throw it on, then I want you to check the container and see if it's cold."

Umbra pulled the full drive out of the computer, then picked up the container. “It’s pretty cold, Alad. How cold should it be?” 

"I think it's alright. Open it, you'll find what looks like a black plastic brick. Take it, and I can't stress this enough,  _ be careful with it.  _ If I want this harebrained scheme to have any chance of succeeding, I need it, and it needs to get here as fast as possible so what's in it doesn't stop being useful to the extent I need it to be."

“I’ll get it done, but should I ask what’s inside?”

"I'll tell you when you get back, because if you get the urge to punch me for it, I want you in front of me so you can do it."

“That’s fair, I think.” Umbra turned to leave, then remembered that he had to climb the longest staircase ever. “Is there a faster way back up than the stairs? I don’t want to go back up that way if I don’t have to.”

"Nope, you've got to go the long way. You're a warframe, that can't be difficult for you!"

Umbra sighed. “Fine, but why do I feel like you never took the stairs?” Alad didn’t reply.

"Just pretend someone you really hate is chasing you. Wait, other way around, pretend you're chasing them."

Umbra started heading up the stairs, as fast as he could go. Ten minutes later, he was at the top. He heard yelling coming from where he left Oberon and slightly out of breath. “Oberon, let’s go. We’ve got what we came for. Maybe more, in fact.”

"Ok, where's Derin?"

“I thought his name was Derf, and down there, where I left him.”

“Nah, his real name is Derin, and Derf is just a nickname because his uncle is very conceited. Why did you leave him down there?”

"What did you want me to do with him?"

"Definitely not 'leave him at the bottom of the stairs like a sack of potatoes.' You might want to go grab him, his dad is here and not very happy. I've been listening to him chew out Nef for the past half an hour, it's been  _ glorious _ ."

“We don’t have time to go get him, because Alad needs this package as soon as possible. He was adamant of the fact.”

"Ok, how about you give it to me, I'll get it to Alad, and you get Derin?"

“I already went up and down the stairs today. How about you go, and I’ll take this to Alad?”

“How about we both go?” Oberon suggested. Umbra sighed, defeated. “Fine, let’s go.”

Oberon galloped down the stairs and was halfway back up by the time Umbra was halfway down, carrying Derin over his shoulder, still groaning.

"You know kid, you might be the most incompetent Corpus I've ever met, but you could make it as an actor." Umbra told him. 

“Says the one who hit me like a sledgehammer.”

"Oh hush up, we'll hand you over to your old man soon enough."

"Wait, Dad's here? Oh, thank profit!"

“You misunderstand, he’s not pleased.” Oberon was satisfied to see Derin’s face go from happy to crestfallen. "Although, moreso at your uncle."

"He's going to kill me. He's always telling me to  _ avoid _ my uncle."

"You'd better listen to him! Not all family is good family, kid."

They continued back up the stairs and towards where they had entered previously. The yelling storm had not blown over. Nef and the black clad stranger briefly stopped when the warframes approached.

"See, Kalo? He's fine."

"Being slung over a warframe's shoulder like a corpse does not look like fine, Nef."

Kalo Anyo glared at his brother from behind his gas mask before turning to the frames. He was a good head taller than Nef, with frigid, pale blue eyes like chips of ice, and a mane of jet black hair that reached between his shoulder blades, radianting authority, unlike his brother. He wasn’t dressed as ridiculously either, wearing what looked like a run of the mill crewman’s suit in black. 

“Alright, no fratricide has to happen, we have your kid.” 

“So I noticed. Hand him over.”

“Hi, Dad.” Derin said, looking like a kavat that just got caught knocking something off a shelf. Oberon put him down, and instead of slapping him in the face as one would expect, Kalo pulled him into a tight hug.

“You will be the  _ death _ of me. Running off with your uncle again is one thing, but messing with Warframes?” 

“How was I supposed to know that there were gonna be Warframes here? Uncle Nef didn’t say anything about them.”

“Of course he wouldn't. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from him before you listen, eh?”

Derin hung his head. “I’m sorry, dad.”   
  


“It’s alright.”   
  
“Does this mean you’re not mad at me?”

“No, I’m furious at you. You could have easily gotten hurt or killed.” He turned to Nef. “What are you even doing here, raiding Alad’s old lab? Are you such a failure you have to pirate someone else’s work now? I knew you could go low, but I didn’t think you’d sink  _ that _ low.”

“Now, Kalo, don’t go assuming things. I was only trying to get some  _ vital information _ that would greatly help my cause.” Nef glared at the Warframes.

“You mean, information you could sell to the highest bidder. Don’t you have better things to do with your time than dig through Alad’s secrets?”

“He ripped open a Warframe, Kalo! Come on, that must mean something.”

“He ripped open one and repurposed her parts, that’s not the same as learning everything about them..”

“And if any of you try to do what he did, we’ll hunt you down and snap your neck.” Umbra added, thinking back to the operating table. Oberon kicked him in the shin.

“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t do anything of the sort,” Nef said, shifting around nervously.

“Nobody believes you for a second, you slimey, spineless bellend. If I ever catch you anywhere near my son again I’m going to kill you.”

“So you say, so you say.”

“Or maybe I’ll get one of them to do it. Either of you know one of your friends who would be interested in assastions?”

“I think most of us are interested in separating Nef from his head,” Umbra answered darkly.

“Hear that? You’d better watch yourself, you walking Void Key.” 

“It’s called fashion, look it up.”

“I’d rather not.” he turned to the Warframes. “I owe you one for helping my son. If you need a favor, call me.” 

“You got it, Kalo. Let’s get out of here.” Oberon and Umbra turned to leave, stopping when Derin decided to say something.

“I’ll get back to you two, we aren’t done!”

“Yes you are, Derin. Trust me, trying to fight with the Tenno is a war you will lose.”

Umbra merely looked over his shoulder, saying, “Trust your father. You don’t want a fight with us.”

Kalo dragged his son off, Nef glaring daggers at his back. Alad contacted Umbra again.

“Are you coming or what? You’ve got like thirty minutes before it goes tits up, so for the love of your Lotus get over here!”

“Keep your shirt on, Alad, we’re coming.” Oberon looked over at the retreating father and son. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

“Possibly. He’s more bearable than his brother, that’s for sure.”

“Let’s get out of here, if only to keep Alad from having an aneurysm.”


	4. Taking Skeletons out of Your Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alad's emotional state goes to funkytown

“Took you fools long enough! Ten minutes before it goes bad.” Alad chastised, throwing the brick into another biocontainer he had set up. “Really, don’t you have any sense at all?”

"We got slightly held up, and we made it, didn't we?" Umbra snapped. Oberon had run off to find Ivara and Garuda.

“You could have made it  _ earlier _ , maybe! Without this, the whole plan is a bust. What held you up?”

“We had the pleasure of meeting Nef’s brother.”

“Which one?”

“Kalo, Derin’s father. Or Derf’s father. I’m kind of confused about it, to be honest.”

“Derf is the nickname, Derin the real one. Kalo Anyo eh? Nice to know he’s still kicking. We weren’t exactly friends, but he was better company than his infamous sibling. Nef has four, and yet only the two oldest, Kalo and Manin, turned out any good as far as I know.”

“Good to know. What should we do now? Did you get the blood from the girls?”

“Waiting for Oberon. Hand me the drive would you? I want to look through it.”

“What’s on it, or do I need to ask?” Umbra handed over the drive, curious.

“My research, hopefully. Logs, photos, probably some clips as well. This is going to be painful.”

“I’ll leave you be, then. Just let me know when you want me.”

"Go hunt down Oberon, would you? I have a feeling getting blood took a backseat to cuddling Ivara."

“You got it. I will track down Garuda as well, yes?”

"Yes yes, get her blood."

“Will do. Be back in ten minutes. Maybe fifteen.” Umbra turned to leave, but was stopped by Alad.

“Be sure that they are calm when they arrive. It wouldn’t do to have their blood pressure up.” Umbra nodded, then went off to find the others.

He wandered Larunda for a bit before coming across everyone he was looking for, plus Ember, Equinox, and Nidus, who was trying to soothe the angry prime. 

"Come now, Equinox, it's not that bad. If the other three gave it, there's no problem."

“I will _not_ be giving my blood to that lab rat, Nidus. Did you hear how crazy his project sounds? _Making_ _a Warframe._ I will have no part of it.”

"The Lotus herself gave him the order, so you might want to reconsider." Umbra said as he walked up.

Equinox paused, clasping her hands behind her back.. “She...she did? Why would she do something like that? I would assume that she knows better.”

"She must know something, otherwise she wouldn't have asked." Nidus said gently, putting an arm around her. "And I'm not sure why Alad needs you four specifically, but he's gotta have some plan."

She sighed, defeated. "Alright, if it's what the Lotus wants." She plucked the remaining empty needle from Ivara's hand, went off, and came back five minutes later, the tube filled with her blood.

"Pinch the bastard for me, will you?" 

“If it means he gets this, sure,” Umbra said, businesslike. They handed their needles over to him. “I’ll be sure to tell Alad of your generosity, girls.”

"Tell him I'll turn him inside out next time I see him." Equinox said.

“I’ll make him aware of the fact.” Umbra nodded at the group, then left to bring the filled vials to Alad.

Walking in, he said, “Hey, Alad, just wanted to let you know that Equinox is going to turn you inside out. Her words, not mine.”

"Joy, that's only slightly better than what Valkyr will do to me if she finds out about my methods."

“I guess you’ll learn to live with it. It can’t be that bad, the only downside is everything’s backwards for you.”

"Great, yes, that's exactly how it works. Just give me the damn vials."

Umbra handed them over, then remembered the biocontainer. “What was in the package you wanted me to get, Alad? Why was that so important?”

Alad took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise me something. If you get the urge to punch me, do it."

Umbra paused. “You are telling me that I have your full permission to cave your face in if I so desire. Correct?”

"Non-fatally, just make it hurt."

"If you say so. So, what is in there that is so terribly important?"

"Valkyr's eggs."

“You...you don’t mean her…” Umbra looked at Alad for confirmation. 

"Yes, I mean her uterus and ovaries were surprisingly intact and not ravaged completely by the helminth. Three guesses as to what me, in my genius decision making, did next".

“You decided that she didn’t need them.”

"Yeah, something like that." He said quietly, hands clenched tightly.

Umbra decided enough was enough. Out of nowhere, Alad received the hardest punch he’d ever gotten, with Umbra burying his fist in the Corpus's gut. 

“Be glad that I promised not to tell her.” 

"I'm very grateful, believe me." he replied, clutching his stomach, doubled over.

"Why, why in the name of the Lotus would you do something like that?" 

"I...I don't...because I didn't care back then. I didn't even know you were alive until I opened Valkyr, and even then I didn't care. It's a wonder, really, that she didn't return the favor." 

“Oh, trust me, once this gets out,  _ and it will _ , you will receive your penance.” 

"Wait, you're going to tell her?" Alad asked, fear clinging to his words.

“No, I made a promise, but you can’t keep this down forever. It  _ will _ get out eventually, sooner or later. The only question is when.” 

Alad put his face in his hands. "I'm fucked, aren't I?"

“What were you expecting, a slap on the wrist? No, we both know what will happen. Valkyr is probably the least of your worries.”

"What do you mean by that?"

“The Lotus.”

"What about her?" 

“If she finds out that you grew this Warframe from Valkyr’s eggs, what do you think her response would be?”

"But if I don't use them, I'd need them from someone else, or I can't do this at all!"

“That may be the case, but what if a donor stepped up? Instead of having to work around a secret, you would have full approval. Or is it too late for that?”

"You really think someone's just going to offer themselves up? There's a better chance of hell freezing over twice!"

“So be it, but be wary of your path. Even now, this project is causing divisions among the Warframes.”

"You bastards said you'd keep quiet!"

“I promised, and I will say nothing. But there is a reason Equinox wants to turn you inside out. Misunderstanding, or not understanding at all, are powerful motivators in feeding ignorance and fear. I know that you know this, and yet you assumed that it wouldn’t happen? I never took you for a fool, Alad.”

"I never assumed it wouldn't happen, but I also never asked for this fucking curse of a project in the first place! I have  _ nothing  _ to work off of. I've never cloned a thing before and know almost nothing about it, I have no idea where to start with building your bloody armor, what to do about the operators, or how to give her the abilities. I'm flying completely blind because your Lotus got spooked after those thrice damned cryopods took ten  _ fucking _ days to open. I have no idea what I'm doing, and on top of all of that I have to pray that Tyl Regor's in a sharing mood, and that he won't go over the flimsy excuses I'll have to pull out of thin air to cover what I'm doing with a fine tooth comb, because if he's not been hit with the idiot stick, you'll be going on another, much more dangerous hacking mission and Kelpie won't be so much of a secret any more." He punched a wall. “Then here’s you, assuming I’m acting like an idiot when I’m really just feeling my way in the dark while my eyes have also been plucked out of my skull!” 

“This wasn’t my decision, this wasn’t my idea, it would have never crossed my mind to try and make one of you, because I’m still at least partially sane, but your Lotus takes one look at Zanuka, which used Valkyr’s armor, not her flesh, and goes ‘ _ build a Warframe’  _ without so much as considering the massive weight she’s just dumped onto my shoulders! Do you have any idea how much bending over backwards I’ve had to do? Do you think I enjoy using Valkyr’s stolen bits? Do you think I wanted to be reminded that I used to be soulless? I HAVE NO OTHER SOLUTION! I feel like I’ve aged 10 years in only three days, and this plan might not even work!” He pulled off his helmet and buried his face in his arms. Umbra noticed his light brown hair was streaked with grey at his temples.

Umbra took a moment before saying his piece. “So, you are so overwhelmed by the scale of this problem that you didn’t notice the reactions others were having to it?”

“I’m saying I’m on the verge of losing it, Umbra, and if I get one more reminder of how utterly and totally screwed I am, I’m going to jump off the bloody relay.” 

  
“You should consider doing this in secret, letting only a select a few into your lab.”

Alad walked up to Umbra, grabbed his face in his hands and made him look him in the eye. 

“Umbra, Umbra, _ I am already doing that.  _ Come on, I’m stressed, not stupid.” 

“Well, that’s news to me, then. And take your hands off me, or I might be inclined to separate you from your lunch.”   
  


“Then you need to stop pretending you have any idea what’s going on. You know combat, but you don’t know this. Your Lotus has thrown me into the pit with this one, I know it. She’s probably set me up for this, and as soon as it falls through, I’ll be back out in the snow, so don’t you try and even pretend you can comprehend what I’m doing.”

Umbra slapped Alad’s hands away. “Don’t take that high-and-mighty tone with me, Alad. We’re all flying blind here, you just happen to feel it more. I should leave anyway, you’re going to have a breakdown if I stay any longer.” He walked out the door, but just before he left, he thought he heard quiet sobbing, and he felt a stab of pity.

Umbra returned the next day, telling himself he was just making sure Alad didn’t do anything stupid, not because he felt any kind of guilt. He walked in to find Alad splayed out on the floor with a bottle of alcohol in one hand, his face grimy and tear-streaked, and his odd half kavat, half earth cat kitten Galatea curled up on his chest, purring gently.

“What... _ precisely  _ are you doing, Alad?”

“Questioning my existence, screaming into the uncaring void. You?” 

“I’m questioning your decision-making ability.”

“What a coincidence, so am I! I’m wondering why I agreed to stay on board the Tenno’s side when I could have easily ran back to the Corpus. I don’t know why I stuck here.”

“Well, you’re here. What are you going to do about it?”

“Work on Kelpie, I guess. If I let you punch me in the gut over Valkyr’s eggs I might as well use them. Go grab Nidus for me, would you?”

“I’m assuming Kelpie is its name? May I ask why?”

“Kelpie is  _ her  _ name, yes. It comes from a human legend about a demon water horse that lured people onto it’s back, then drowned them and ate their flesh, except the heart and liver.”

“Sounds cheerful. I’ll go find Nidus, just hang tight.”

“Have fun!” he called, taking a swig.

Looking back, Umbra had a thought. “Don’t do anything until I get back. We need you for this one.”

“Just get Nidus, and make sure you can tear him away from Equinox.”

Umbra gave him a strange look. “Gotcha.”

He came back five minutes later with Nidus in tow.

“You brought him? Good, good, it looks like you’re done being a gigantic twat.” Alad was seemingly cured of his hangover, running around his lab with Galatea perched on his shoulder, her fan of tails waving in unison.

“What’s this all about?” the Infested frame questioned.

“I need your Helminth.” 

“May I ask why?” he said, hands tightening behind his back. He was not thrilled about the prospect of just giving away his DNA to be played with.

“How much trouble is telling one more person about this going to cause?” Alad asked Umbra.

“Depends on the person, Alad. You know about the domino effect.”

“How good are you at keeping secrets and controlling yourself?” Alad asked Nidus.

“As good as anybody else, I reckon.” 

“Good, so you’ll keep your head on and your mouth shut. Your Lotus asked me to make a Warframe and I need Helminth.” 

“You...you’re making a Warframe? How?”

“I don’t know, I’m making it up as I go, your Space Mother didn’t give me any instructions except a message about the Helminth a day after she told me.”

“Okay, so my Helminth is going to help create a new Warframe? Count me in, let’s do this!”

“Just like that?” Alad said in disbelief. 

“I want to help, is all.”

“That’s it? I don’t have to promise you my soul or anything? Well, that’s new.”

“Just tell me what to do. This is exciting!”

“I’m either going to need your blood or one of those cysts you give to other frames. This whole thing basically boils down to ‘make a thing then infect it’ and yes I wish it was as simple as it sounds.”

“You’ll figure it out, Alad. It’s what you do.” Nidus sounded too cheerful about the whole thing. “Would you rather have my blood, or a cyst?”

“Just give me both, if I’m going to do nothing but spitball this, I might as well have options.” 

Alad handed Nidus a needle, who plunged it directly into his arm. After it was full, he pulled it out, then tore a cyst off his neck and handed that over as well. “Is that enough, or do you need more?”

“That should be good. I’m impressed with how little that seemed to phase you. Excalibur told me you were very...jaded, personality wise.” 

“Well, things change, I guess. I’ve got a good reason to be more cheery now, I think.”

Umbra’s curiosity overcame him. “What reason may that be, I wonder?”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll poke plenty of holes in it.” Alad said drily. 

Umbra wasn’t giving up. “Is it something to do with someone special?”

Nidus cocked his head. “When did you become interested eh?”

“I was just wondering.”

“That’s interesting, but I sure don’t care. Take your arguments about Nidus’s lackluster lovelife out please, I’ve got work to do.” Alad shooed them out the door. “My work is very important, and I cannot be disturbed unless I ask to be.”

“Keep your helmet on, Alad, we’re leaving.” Umbra and Nidus walked out


	5. How to Make a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alad gets the science jitters and Lotus does her Lotus magic

After a failed negotiation, and what could be recorded as the worst spy mission in the history of the Tenno, Alad had his Cloning for Dummies guide, and shut himself inside, in earnest. In order for this to work, he would need a cloning tube (which would come later), genetic soup (don’t eat that), and an incredible amount of luck (go make your own), though not necessarily in that order.

Alad scanned the logs the Warframes had stolen for him from Tyl Regor again. The process wasn’t all that complex, and yet still his hands shook. This was it, either make it or the Lotus would toss him out on his ass, of that he was sure, and deep down, he didn’t even want to start. But he would have to start, if he was ever to finish, to get through this madness.

 _“Alad?”_ the Lotus called, her voice soft. _“Are you alright?”_

“No.” he said bluntly, taking a swig of his homemade liquor. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this but I just can’t set down for it.”

 _“What's worrying you?”_ she questioned.

“Now that I'm here to actually work on it, I realize just how ridiculous this task is. I always knew it would be hard, but just thinking about it now drains me. And if I fail, what then? I’ll be thrown out again, and I’ll have to start at square one all over. Who knows if I’ll even make it up this time? ”

_“Alad, I’m not going to throw you away if this doesn’t work. I am not depending on you to come through, I am only curious to see if this could work. I’d prefer it if it works, but I’m fully aware it may not. I’ve not set you here to fail, only experiment. If I was ever going to cast you out, I would have done it long ago, only if I thought of you as a tool and nothing more. But you've grown on me quite a bit. Even I'm surprised at it. And I do believe you can accomplish this.”_

"I...thank you, Lotus. I will do my best." He said, still feeling nervous, but his hands had stopped shaking. “There’s nothing for it but to try, right?”

_“Just know, Alad, that I am behind you every step of the way.”_

Alad, not trusting himself to speak, simply nodded his thanks. As he turned away to start working, the Lotus spoke again.

 _“Alad.”_ He looked up at her, wondering what else she could possibly say. _“Thank you for doing this. It means so much to me that you are willing to go along with this plan.”_

This time, Alad convinced his vocal cords to work. “Well, Lotus, you’ve shown me far greater kindness than I deserve, and I’d like to do what I can to return the favor.”

The Lotus was taken aback. _“If I thought that you deserved less, Alad, I would have given you less. I believe you will still do many great things for the Tenno.”_

It might have been a trick of the light, but his normally pale face looked a tinge more red. He definitely was not used to this kind of high praise. Bowing his head, he said, “Thank you, Lotus, I will try.”

Try he did, for roughly two weeks. When he finally came out, he looked like his soul had been drained out of him. Umbra caught him on the ground getting drunk. Again.

“Alad, when are you going to put down the drink?” Umbra sounded more concerned than normal.

“Jokes on you, I finished, and now I’m trying to relieve my tension. Well, by finished I mean now I have to wait for any results.”

“So you’re drowning yourself in alcohol?”

“Yep! I don’t think I did too well, if I’m to be completely honest. It went...too quickly. I should have taken more time, been more careful, but I slipped into the rhythm of it and just kind of...lost track of everything.”

“Isn’t that what you normally do with projects?”

“This is different, much different. I don’t want to think that I may have ruined a life before it even started, but I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s going to go wrong.”

“If something goes wrong, it goes wrong. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. There’s no need to worry over things that are out of our control.”

“I guess you’re right. So, how have you held up in the last two weeks? Any major disasters?”

“Not really, just Nezha not being able to get spy missions right. I’m thinking that Loki can help him with that, if he is willing to accept a pupil.”

“You think Loki’s the mentoring type? Loki? He’s a bit...unpredictable. Which to be fair, so are you, but you have a pattern to you, at least. It was almost better when he...well, nevermind that, my point is he’s a bit of a mess.”

“Who else do you think, then? Ivara isn’t available most of the time, and most of the others dislike him.”

“Ash?”

“Possibly, he didn’t occur to me as an option. I’ll approach him tonight. Anything new with you?”

“Well, aside from my plans to get wasted, no.”

“How about you come with me? It might do you good to talk to somebody, instead of the walls of your lab.”

“Why not?” He staggered to his feet, corking the bottle and setting it aside. Galatea jumped onto his shoulder from the shelf she had been perched on, mewing happily.

Umbra and Alad walked around the relay, talking of small things, and exchanging pleasantries with familiar faces.

Umbra eventually got around to asking the question at hand. “So, Alad, what are you going to do if this project comes through? If this step succeeds, what next?”

“Grow her slowly and try to judge the best time to give her the helminth, I suppose. This...is definitely a sensitive question, but I have to ask it. How old were you when the whole...incident went down? When you became a Warframe. Don’t hit me again, please.”

“I don’t remember, to be honest. It had been a while, that much is certain, but how long exactly? I couldn’t even begin to guess.”

“Well, fuck it, time for more guessing games. Probably while she’s still young and strong, early twenties in Cetus' human years.”

“Sounds good to me, but it’s not like I know anything about it. Maybe the Lotus would know?”

“Doubtful. She knows a lot, but I don’t think even she knows this.”

“She may surprise you. And even if she doesn’t know, she’ll know where to find out.”

“I’ll ask, but I’m not going to put too much faith in it.”

“It’s your decision, ultimately. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Honestly, for now I just hope this works.”

“It may surprise you, but I do too.”

“You...what? When did this happen? Did Garuda finally manage to yank the stick out of your ass?”

“I’m just in a good mood, is all. And maybe Garuda has something to do with it.”

“We’ll see how long it lasts.”

“Is that a challenge, Alad? It may last longer than you think. Anyway, I should go. I was going to meet up with Garuda and Excalibur for some more training.”

“Good luck with that.” he said, turning back, looking lost in thought.

It had been four weeks since Umbra had received any news on Alad’s project. The delay was making him irritable, and it showed. The squad had messed up a defense mission, and blame was being thrown around like a hot potato.

“You’d think after ten days in that bloody Orokin mission you’d know to stick by the cryopod!” Umbra snapped at Excalibur, but by this point he was thoroughly sick of Umbra treating him this way, like he was a human child.

“Maybe if you hadn’t been trying to keep an eye on everyone, and just watched yourself, we might have won! How many slipped past your defense? Instead of trying to micromanage everyone-actually me, because I know damn well you were always watching me, as if I’m the only one who screws up. I didn’t come out of my cryopod yesterday you know!”

“What makes you think that I only watch you?! What would you do when your entire team is taking a mission lightly, when they aren’t paying attention?! Someone has to pick up the slack, and I guess I was the only one who did! So maybe a few slipped past me, but that isn’t bad considering that at least half of my team wasn’t paying attention!”

“We were all paying attention, Umbra, we just had some bad luck. Calm down, please.” Oberon said, sounding drained.

“Luck is made, Oberon. At least there was someone there who was willing to carry the team.”

“Yes, he says, as he was asking for a heal every...five minutes, approximately. You do realize that’s only one of my abilities, right?”

“You’re one to talk. Relying too much on your abilities doesn’t leave enough room for weapons skills.”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t constantly begging for heals I could use something other than my abilities. It’s not like I carry this thing around for show.” he gestured to his Bo prime that was resting against a wall.

Just as Umbra was about to reply, the group was interrupted by Alad running up to them.

“It worked! It fucking worked!”

“What worked, Alad?” Umbra questioned him.

Alad curbed his enthusiasm when he saw Valkyr, Loki, and Excalibur sitting and having the general disposition of dead fish.

“The Lotus’s little request.”

This news completely flipped Umbra’s mood around. “What? Really? Show me!”

“Well there isn’t much to show, yet. Give it about...I’d say 17 more weeks, tops, and it’ll be more visually impressive. But it’s definitely there. It’s actually worked and I’m still not convinced I’m not dreaming.”

Umbra slumped when he heard the length of time he’d have to wait. “Still, Alad, it’s very impressive that you managed it at all.”

Oberon clapped him on the back. “Ignore Scarfy over there, no matter the wait time, it’s still a miracle it’s actually worked. Best of wishes to you further down the road.”

Alad had an idiot grin plastered on his face that he was trying his best to keep under control.


	6. Kelp O' The Loch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Science motherfucker

_ Project Kelpie: Progress Log _

_ Week 3 - The zygote is making its cellular divisions. Development of the embryo has entered its first stages. There was no separation, so the subject will not have an identical twin. Thanks to this, the development will be exponentially easier to control and handle. _ _  
  
_

_ Week 5 - The subject has developed its notochord. It is about to start its gastrulation as well. I identified a neural groove in the subject’s early structure, this will be the root for a future spinal cord. Alongside this, there can also be detected the somites that usually appear around this period, which will make for future vertebrae. Subject’s development has progressed just like normal, without any real issues. _

_ Week 6 - I can finally detect a heartbeat coming from the subject, it follows a normal rhythm for this stage in development. It has also started to form ears, arms, a head and neck, and curiously enough, a tail. I could also find a spleen and what will soon become the lungs. _

_ Week 8 - The subject now has hands and feet, each with their digits. They are barely perceptible, but still can be noticed. The de facto lungs have started forming, and brain development remains steady and normal. Sex organ development should start around this period. _

_ Week 9 - With the usage of a special sound wavelength detection system, I was able to detect the sounds of the subject’s heartbeat. The limbs also move spontaneously from time to time. I should be able to see the development of the major organs begin at around this time. _

_ Week 10 - The subject’s pancreas has formed, and the intestines have rotated. Face features are more distinguishable now. I can also identify some vaguely tooth-shaped buds in her mouth. The liver has started to produce its own red blood cells. _

_ Week 14 - The subject is female! She has also started to develop hair on the top of her head, and her bones have started hardening. The liver and pancreas are producing some fluid secretions. The subject also makes sucking motions with her mouth. I have to admit, it is a little adorable.  _

_ Week 21 - Kelpie’s eyebrows and eyelashes have appeared. She’s also started developing fingernails. She seems more active, and moves her limbs pretty often. Her development has gone perfectly thus far, I can’t deny she makes me proud in some sort of way. _

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alad finished the log and looked over at Kelpie again. No longer sitting in a glass dish, she floated peacefully in a small cloning tube he managed to scrounge up. Something was nagging at him, some feeling he couldn’t quite identify that he had every time he looked at her, but it was there. It wasn’t pride, this felt more personal than just being proud of a scientific accomplishment, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. __  
  


Meanwhile, Umbra decided that he had waited long enough. Alad’s project had been all he could think about for the last few weeks, and he could only do so much pacing. He’d thrown in his lot by helping him to the extent he had gone to, and now he wanted to see results. He leaned down to listen at the door to his lab. Nothing. Steeling himself, he banged on the door.

After a moment of silence, he banged harder. Again, silence. He decided to try a different approach.

“Alad, you jellyfish, open your damn door!”

“Listen here, you scarf-wearing edgelord!”

“I swear, if you don’t open this door, I’ll open it  _ for _ you, and then it will never close again! Do you want that?!”

“Well, if you want this entire operation to be busted before the Lotus is ready to make the formal announcement, sure!”

“Listen, Alad, I think, after all I did to get this going, that I deserve to know where it’s at. I can’t keep waiting forever!”

“Ok, ok, fine, keep your scarf on, come in!” Umbra heard the click of the door being unlocked. 

“Hey there, Alad, nice to see you.”

“He says, after threatening me.” 

“He says, after shutting himself inside without contact for weeks. You’d think you’d be starved for conversation, at the very least.”

“Actually, no. I talked to Oberon.” 

“You  _ what?  _ Why?” Umbra asked, outraged that Oberon had been made privy to Alad’s work while having done less than him to contribute. 

“Well it’s simple. He didn’t keep asking like a petulant child. Every time you asked, I let Oberon come around and take a look.” 

Umbra wanted to strangle him. “Are you  _ trying _ to piss me off?”

“I’m trying to focus on keeping Kelpie alive without having you and your ilk come in and ogle at her!”

“What about the fact that  _ without me, _ you wouldn’t be doing this right now? You are in debt to me, and all I want is a look. What’s wrong with that?”

“Well one, the fact that you’re acting like you did all the bloody heavy lifting! You did practically nothing compared to what I did those two weeks. I’m practically her de facto father-that’s it!”

Umbra decided to try a different approach. “How about I go calm down, you go calm down, and then we’ll take a look, alright?”

“No, you can look, that’s not what I meant.” He dragged Umbra over to where Kelpie’s tube rested and pulled the tarp up so he could see her. 

Umbra stopped short. He could scarcely believe that all the data he saw, Alad had actually made  _ this _ . Umbra found himself lost for words. Unused to his silence, Alad was fidgeting, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Well? You were pestering me for 21 weeks, so now what?” 

“...So this is Kelpie, eh? She doesn’t look all that threatening, I have to say.” he joked. Alad was not amused.

“Technically, she’s not going to be born yet for another 19 weeks, so give her a break, Scarfy.”

Umbra decided to let the nickname go. “I’m not sure I can wait that long, Alad. But I’ll give it a shot, for her.”

“I feel bad that I have to do this to her.” 

“I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Will she, though? Even though I’m not planning on doing anything to her until she’s much older, I still can’t help but feel that I’m damning her. Not all that long ago she was tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand, and I just...if she asks me why I turned her into a Warframe, I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer her with anything that could be considered solid justification. I understand what I feel for her now. I care about her, I actually care about her, and...I don’t want to ruin her.” he finished, his voice shaky. 

“Well, whether you believe me or not, Alad, I understand. When it was me on the table, I never thought that I, an Orokin Dax soldier, would ever be turned into something used to fight  _ against _ the ones I once fought with. When Ballas decided to torture me, I thought that he would kill me, not make me fight  _ for  _ him. In a way, death would have been preferable to fighting for The Betrayer. Now, though, I am grateful. I would have never met anyone here, made the friendships I did, if not for him.”

“Does that really make what he did to you worth it? To me, it doesn’t feel like it.” 

“Sometimes, life is the better alternative. If you end it, if you kill yourself, you think that things can’t get worse. That is incorrect. If you kill yourself, you stop things from getting better. Things can only get so bad, but thinking that they won’t get better doesn’t help anything. You have to keep hope, because sometimes, hope is all we have.”

“Umbra, are you ok?”

“I just don’t want to see you quit, Alad.” Umbra slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re more resilient than you think. If you can forge a relationship with Valkyr, you can do this.”

Alad looked over at Kelpie again, the tiny life he was warring for, and nodded.

“I hope I can, for her sake.”

“You’ll do it, Alad. I know you will, and when you do, you’ll know I said you would.” Umbra turned to leave. “Thanks for the look.”

“Take a photo and show the others involved, so they don’t come over here to bug me.”

“Okay, Alad, keep your pants on.” Umbra snapped a picture. After taking another glance at Kelpie, he walked out the door.

Alad replaced the tarp over her small container and read over the logs again. Reading over the part where he said how much easier this would be with her not having a twin, he wondered now, if things would have been better with one. When the time finally came for the Helminth, she’d be changed in a way that could never be undone, and he’d never get to see her truly grow and live. If she had a twin, things would be different. He shook his head. No, it was a selfish thought. The only Kelpie he had was this one, right in front of him, still floating serenely in the mock amniotic fluid, connected to the cables that kept her alive and growing, the movement of her tiny lungs and heart visible if he watched closely enough, and he would do his best for this one, this living one, not the hypothetical twin she might have had. It did no good to either of them to think about the what-ifs.


	7. We're Going to Need a Bigger Tube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie makes her debut and Tyl Regor gets robbed. Fun times all around.

_ Week 40 - Kelpie looks to have developed with no anomalies. All systems are functioning as they should, there aren’t any visible abnormalities or defects. I think she’s ready to be pulled out.  _

__ Alad stared at the tiny girl in his arms, tiny, so very very fragile, practically buried in the white cloth he had her wrapped in. She gripped his gloved finger in a miniscule hand, and he couldn’t help but feel that all the struggle had been worth it to see her do that. Kelpie was, in his humble opinion, a complete success so far, and it was easy to see why. She looked completely normal and healthy, nothing strange except for her eyes, which, aside from having ink black scleras thanks to the helminth already present in the blood Ivara, Garuda, Ember, and Equinox provided, were two different colors, with her right eye being a deep, bright amber, and her left one cerulean blue, and looked a bit odd against her pale skin. 

__ Alad was interrupted from his reverie by a knock at his door. 

“You’ve got horrible timing!”

“It’s Umbra.”

“Yeah, that’s how I knew!” Alad opened the door. “If I let you in, are you going to behave yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“I need you to be quiet, is what I mean. Will you be quiet, or will you be leaving?”

“Yes, I’ll be quiet, if it’ll get you off my back.”

Alad paused, considering. Seeming to be satisfied, he stepped aside. “Fine, come on in.” 

Kelpie shifted to get a better look at Umbra as he walked in, nearly rolling out of Alad’s arms. 

Umbra nearly fell over. “Wait, she’s…” He fell silent. Then, he rushed out of the room, saying, “I have to tell the others!”

“And he’s the reason you’ll get no peace for the next few...weeks.” he told her, tapping a finger on her nose, making her giggle.

Umbra came back around ten minutes later, Oberon, Ivara, Garuda, Ember, Equinox, and Nidus in tow. She stared up at them, her eyes wide. Ember was the first to react, squealing with delight.   
  
“She’s so cute! You really did it, you’ve actually made her!” she said, giving him a congratulatory slap on the back.

“Ah well, you know, can’t disappoint the Lotus and all that.”

“Can I hold her? Please?” she begged. 

“I don’t know…” he started to say.

“Just for a moment, please? I promise to be gentle.”

“Okay, fine. Here you go.” He held her out, and Ember took her in her arms. Kelpie reached up, and Ember let her take hold of a sleek black and gold finger. 

Garuda couldn’t help herself. “Can I hold her next, Alad?”

“Keep your talons pointed  _ inward _ please.”

“What do I look like, Alad? Incompetent?”

“You look dangerous.” 

“Well, I am, but only to people I want to be dangerous to. I will keep my talons in, I promise.”

“Fine, fine, hand her over Ember.” 

“In a few minutes,” she said tickling Kelpie under the chin.

“You’ve already had a few minutes, Ember. Let me hold her, please.”

“Alright, alright, here you go.” Ember carefully handed Kelpie over to Garuda.

“Have you weighed her, Alad?” Garuda asked.

“Yeah, she’s 3.4 kilos, why?” 

“She’s light as a feather.” She let Kelpie hold her thumb, pulling it away when she tried to put it in her mouth. “No, don’t eat that, you don’t know where it’s been.” She looked over at Equinox. “Do you want a turn?”

“No, I’ll be fine, thanks.”

Nidus knew that inside, she really wanted to hold the baby. “Just try it, you’ll like it. She’s a good girl, isn’t she, Alad?”

“Well, she hasn’t had any time to get into trouble yet.”    


“See, Equinox, it’ll be alright. You’ll be fine.”

Equinox surrendered. “Fine, hand her over.” To her surprise, no major disasters occured. Kelpie sat peacefully in her white, purple and gold arms, staring at her.

“She’s not...unpleasant.” 

Ember laughed. “ _ That’s _ all you have to say? What were you expecting?” Equinox just glared at her, handing Kelpie over to Oberon. Kelpie rested calmly in his arms, seemingly at complete ease, even snuggling against his chest.

“She seems to like you.” 

“Well, I seem to like her, too,” he said, taking her little hand between his thumb and forefinger. “You’ll be fighting with us one day.” he told her. She cooed at him, reaching her other hand up towards his face. “And you seem excited at the prospect.”

“I would also like a turn, Oberon.” Everyone turned, surprised. Umbra seemed the least likely person to be interested in such things.

“Okay, here you go.” Umbra took Kelpie in his arms, and he felt an odd twinge in his heart. It was a familiar feeling that he couldn't quite pin down. Something in the back of his mind flickered, the ghost of a long forgotten memory trying to surface. He couldn't quite grasp it, but looking into Kelpie's dual colored eyes, he could almost make it out through the murk of time.

Ivara quietly cleared her throat, drawing attention to her. “You done?”

“Fine, here,” said Umbra, slightly disappointed that he didn’t get to hold her longer.

Almost as soon as Kelpie was nestled in Ivara’s arms, she grabbed one of the ribbons hanging from her veil and tugged on it, yanking Ivara’s head down with it. “Stop that, you! What do you see in that?” she laughed, untangling herself from her little fist. 

“I suppose I have to thank you, Umbra, you’ve saved me the trouble of getting everyone in one place. Now that Kelpie’s...I don’t know, does it count as a birth if you were just pulled out of a glorified fish tank? Anyway, now that she’s here, she needs to grow before I start giving her the helminth, which means I need a bigger tube, which means you’re all going on a little trip to Uranus.”

“Why? What’s at Uranus?” Equinox asked, puzzled.

Umbra sighed. “Tyl Regor, and his facilities. The very same facilities where he created the Tubemen. The very same facilities that have an overabundance of cloning tubes, and where those annoying Manics come from.”

“So you’re saying we’re going to steal a tube from Tyl Regor...that seems like a very bad idea.” she said.

“You don’t have to come, Equinox. You can stay while we do the work,” Ember told her.

“Ember, don’t be a twat. She’s right. It’s...not going to be an easy task. Maybe we should go about it in a different way.” Ivara said, deep in thought.

“Ivara is correct, Ember. Equinox, if you don’t want to come, none of us will think less of you for it. Everyone who is coming, bring your ass-kicking gear.” Umbra said.

“Hold on, Umbra. Ivara is saying that a full-on frontal assault isn’t the best option here. We need another way to go about it.” Oberon cautioned.

“Exactly. Think of this as less run in and loot and more of a heist. Being realistic, the chances of us all going in, going undetected, somehow finding a way to wrestle a tube and then going all the way back without said tube being damaged...it’s unlikely. We need a real plan.”

“Did you have something in mind, Ivara?” Umbra asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do. Maybe four warframes can’t just walk in and take one, but a grineer probably could.”

“Obviously, but where are we going to  _ find  _ one?”

“Clem.”

“Clem?”

“Clem.”

Umbra considered the thought. It wasn’t a bad idea, considering that Clem could blend in with any Grineer station. The problem was, they’d need someone who could translate for the rest of them. And there was only one who knew the language.

“Darvo isn’t going to like it.”

“Darvo doesn’t have to, because we’re on a mission for the Lotus herself. He’ll be coming whether he likes it or not,” Umbra said.

Turns out, Darvo didn’t like it. “No. Absolutely not. You are not taking Clem, and  _ myself, _ to a Grineer outpost to steal one of Tyl Regor’s cloning tubes. Not in a thousand lifetimes.”

“Look, I know it’s probably the dumbest thing you’ve heard all week, but it’s a good plan. We’ll clap you into some marine armor, you’ll be fine!” Oberon appealed. 

Darvo may have loathed the very thought, but Clem seemed to love it.

“Clem!”

“No, Clem, we  _ aren’t _ going.”

“Cleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem.” 

“There’s nothing in it for you, and besides, it’s very dangerous. So no.”

“Clem!” 

“You wouldn’t! You’d be screwed without me there.”

“Clem.”

“I didn’t mean it like that Clem! I meant that you’d need someone else there to talk for you.”

“Clem.”

“Steel Meridian? Bah! Come on, Clem, be serious here!”

“Clem. Grakata.”

“Ok fine, I’ll go, if only to keep you out of trouble.”

“Clem!”

“Don’t sound so happy about it!”

“Well, it sounds like everybody’s in!” Alad said cheerfully. “So, how exactly is this plan of yours going to work?” 

“We’re going to clap Darvo into some Marine armor and send them to Tyl’s labs. Fingers crossed they won’t run into him, but it’s most likely they will. If he asks, they’ll tell him the queens want it for something. Once they’re about three quarters to the extraction point, the rest of us will come, grab the tube, and rush it out.”

“Sounds horrible, let’s do it.” Alad said.

“Excellent! Umbra, Oberon, the two of you head to Earth and pull some armor off a Marine. In the meantime, I’m going to give these two a few tips.” she turned to Clem and Darvo. “Rule number one, if you look like you’re supposed to be there, you’re far less likely to be questioned.”

“Thank you, Ivara. I’ll meet you at the orbiter, Oberon, there’s something I have to do first.” Umbra headed away from the group.

“What are you going to do?” Oberon called after him.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Umbra replied.

“Okay, I’ll see you there, after you say goodbye to Garuda.”

Umbra looked back over his shoulder. “You do that, and while you’re at it, mind your own business.” 

Oberon sighed as he watched Umbra stalk away. 

“While we wait, someone go grab Loki and fill him in on everything but the why.” Ivara instructed. “I want him on the pickup team with Oberon, Umbra and I.”

Equinox piped up. “I’ll do it, if you don’t mind.” She rushed off into the relay.

A few hours later, with Darvo grinding his teeth the whole time, he and Clem were dropped off on the Titania node of Uranus, the Corpus shuffling around in some very ill-fitting armor.

“You said this would be fine! This is  _ not _ fine! I do not feel fine!” Darvo continued on this way for several minutes until Ivara silenced him.

“Do you want this mission to fail, or not?”

“Well, no, but-”   
  


“Then don’t go complaining about us trying to spare your life.”

“But this armor doesn’t fit! How am I supposed to look convincing if this doesn’t fit?”

Ivara sighed. “Just move normally, Darvo. You’ll figure the rest of it out along the way. And just so you know, we’ll be there in case something goes wrong.”

"Somehow that's not as comforting as it should be." 

“Well, Darvo, sometimes things happen. You should know this better than most.” Ivara was getting fed up with his complaining, but she tried to imagine herself in his position. "I know you're very capable, and I know you can do this. You're gonna snatch that tube from right under that big blue bastard's questionably existent nose!" 

“Fine, Ivara, calm down. We’ll get it done,” Darvo said. Then, under his breath, he added, “I hope.”

"I know you can, you're a great thief." 

“What makes you say that?” Darvo questioned her, suspicious.

"I mean...you grabbed Stalker's gear and sold it without batting an eye."

“You really believe that was  _ me _ that grabbed it? Thanks, but I’m just a merchant.” 

"And here I am, trying to be nice."

Darvo and Clem forayed deeper into the labs. They were ignored by their fellows, and Darvo was surprised by just how right Ivara had been. As long as they looked like they were supposed to be there, nobody even gave them a second glance.

Call it fate, or call it luck, they got to the tube without incident. Unfortunately, the easy part was now over. Darvo and Clem would have to lug the heavy bundle all the way back to extraction, while trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

"Maybe I should have stayed with my dad." Darvo muttered between clenched teeth.

"Clem." Clem said quietly.

“Yes, Clem, you’re right, that wouldn’t have turned out well. I was just saying that I don’t want to be here.”

“Clem.”

“Well, aren’t you a regular bundle of joy. I’ll be surprised if we don’t get stopped, honestly.” He looked the tube over. “How about you take the heavy side, and I take the light side.”

“Clem!”

“Look at me. You know that I’m not built for manual labor, Clem. Besides, there has to be a light side, right?”

“Clem. Grakata.”

“No, Clem, we can’t fight our way out of this, we’d be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.”   
  


“Cleeeeeeem.”   
  


“Look, just grab it, and let’s go.”

They headed down the dim hallway, trying not to stand out. But try as they might, heads were turning everywhere. They were going to need some sort of explanation, as it would only be so long before the news reached Tyl Regor that his soldiers were carrying around a cloning tube. 

Darvo whispered to Clem, trying not to attract attention. “Do you have any ideas?”

“Clem,” Clem whispered back.

“The Queens? You may have something there, and that is what Ivara suggested.”

“Clem, clem.”

“They need cloning tubes for their new bodies? That’s a good story, let’s go with that.”

“Clem!”

“Yes, yes, you’re terribly clever.”

They continued through the metal maze of dull green corridors and dim, dusty yellow lights. Darvo’s skin crawled. Somewhere here Tyl Regor was lurking. Darvo has never met the hulking grineer scientist, but he knew him by reputation, a reputation that suggested he’d be all too glad to do to a Warframe what Alad had done to Valkyr. If he managed to even creep out Nekros a bit...he didn’t want to think about it. Clem, annoyingly, seemed completely at ease, if not unaware of their imminent danger. 

As they charged on, a strange sound came after them, like the tip of a needle hitting the ground, only louder. They stopped dead in their tracks. “I didn’t know that there was a move scheduled for today. Did I miss the memo?”

The voice shot fear through Darvo’s chest like an icicle. Tyl Regor had found them. Time for some brilliant improvising, Darvo thought.

“Oh, well, you know, the Queens can give their orders...somewhat erratically.”    
  
“I know that well enough, but usually, they go to  _ me. _ Any reason why I wasn’t made aware of this?”

“Apologies, sir, I wouldn’t know. They just told us to come grab a tube, so we did.”

“They must be trying to hide their projects from me. Not a surprise. They loathe my existence, and would erase me, if they could do it without arousing suspicion.”

“That would be quite foolish of them. Your work is very important.”

“Of course it is! I’m trying to improve the entire Grineer genome! And what do they say? ‘Your work is treasonous to the Grineer.’ We’ll see who is actually committing treason. Carry on, for now. I want to see where this leads. Report to me when you have completed their task, I want to know all the specifics.”

“Yes sir!” 

“Clem!”

“I’m sorry, what?” Tyl took a closer look at the disfigured soldier. He seemed to remember hearing something about a disfigured Lancer, but couldn’t put his finger on it. He took note of the soldier, nodded at him, and went on his way.

Clem couldn’t contain his excitement that Tyl Regor had actually acknowledged him, and told Darvo so.

“Clem, clem!”

“Yes, Clem, I saw. You did very well.”

“Clem!”

“Yes, I know, but we can talk about it later. Let’s get out of here before Tyl realizes that he’s been had.”

“Cleeeeeeeeeeem.”

“No, we can’t go back and talk with him some more, it would put this whole mission in jeopardy.”

“Clem.”

“Who knows, maybe he’ll turn over a new leaf like Alad did. Then you can talk to him.”

“...Clem? Clem.”

“Yeah you’re right, that’s pretty unlikely.”

The pair hurried to the designated three quarters point, where the other frames were waiting.

“Did you run into any problems?” Ivara asked, concerned. “You took longer than you should have.”

“We ran into Tyl, but he didn’t pose too much of a problem, now let’s go before our luck runs out.” 

“Wait, I don’t understand.  _ Tyl Regor _ didn’t pose much of a problem?” 

“Nope. Just ranted about how much the Queens sucked and went on his way.”

The warframes stood in silence for a moment. “You’re right,” Umbra said. “We should go before our luck runs out.”

“Of course I’m right. That’s what I said, isn’t it?” 

Umbra decided not to argue the point, and they made it to extraction without any issues. But, try as they might, Tyl would discover this deception, if much later than expected.


	8. Flower Bud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladad is born, Tyl gets pissy, Kelpie has excellent comedic timing.

It took Tyl approximately two days to realize he’d been duped. In his defense...it was a busy two days.

“Where’s my tube, Alad?”

“Why would I have your tube?”

“Oh, I don’t know, you called me about cloning nine months ago, then the Warframes come and take my research, and now I have a missing tube. It feels like more than a coincidence.”

Kelpie, in her infinite sense of ironic timing, stopped her ravenous milk-inhaling just long enough to poke her head up and stick her tongue out at Tyl before going back to her imitation of an eater of worlds.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Where’d I get what?”

“The baby. Don’t tell me she’s yours.” 

“Uuuuuuhhhhh.” Alad started, unsure of how to answer.

“I know you don’t have a girlfriend, with that face. Therefore, you must have stolen it, because I sure don’t remember you having someone who would be willing to reproduce with you.”

“First of all, if we’re going to resort to personal attacks, I don’t see your peg-legged ass getting laid either, so just back up.” Alad began, Tyl words having hit a just a bit too close to home. “Second, it is absolutely none of your damn business where I got this baby.”

“That was exactly my point. She isn’t yours. I  _ do _ want to know where she came from, Alad, so that I can come and get my tube.”

“I didn’t take your bloody tube, and you have absolutely no right to know where I got her.”

“I have  _ every _ right, Alad, if my tube is involved. My tube, my business.”

“Can you even  _ have  _ children, Tyl?”

“That is none of your concern!”

“Then she is none of yours! I won’t be lectured by a man who doesn’t know the difference between a hammer and an axe!”

“IT’S A HAMMER BECAUSE I SAY IT’S A HAMMER! I  _ WILL _ BE COMING.” Alad backed up a bit, surprised he had managed to coax out Regor’s infamously hard to view temper.

“Yeah, but any partner you have won’t be, that’s for sure.” A childish response, but Tyl had left himself wide open for it.

“YOU HAVE CROSSED THE LINE!”

“You crossed the line first when you threatened my daughter.” Alad said calmly. His own words surprised him, but...he’d only held Kelpie for three days yet he felt such a deep affection for her. Yes, he could say he thought of her as his own, in everything but blood, she was his child. 

“She isn’t  _ yours _ if she’s grown in a  _ tube _ , Alad. Remember that, for next time, I won’t be so generous.”

“Oh that’s ironic, coming from you. You, raving about you Tubemen, telling the Warframes that their Lotus doesn’t love them as much you loved your Tubemen…”

“That is not the same thing! I would never betray my Tubemen, while the Lotus has betrayed the Tenno, at least once, the turncoat. Maybe more, considering that she’s so secretive.”

“Wait, she has? When?” 

“No, no, you get to discover that for yourself. ”

"if you're talking about the fact that she was a Sentient...they already know."

"Wait, they do? Dammit! Oh forget it, have fun with _my tube_ , Alad. I _will_ get that back, understood?"

Alad felt a spike of rage lance through him. How dare this inbred potato threaten him, threaten  _ Kelpie _ . “Listen here Tyl Regor.” he said, voice low and remarkably threatening. “If you lift so much as a finger against her-” he gestured to the baby girl “I’m going to tear you limb from limb, and no amount of cloning will save you from me. I will hunt you down and make you drown in your own blood.” Even as he said it, the words didn’t feel like his own. He looked over his shoulder, but there was nobody. He looked down at Kelpie. He would do it, if it meant protecting her.

“That would be the day. Alad V threatening to kill  _ me _ ! That’s a good one, I’ll have to remember that. Bye, Alad.”

Kelpie reached up a tiny hand, and he took it in his thumb and index fingers, holding it gently. It didn’t matter what came, he would do anything for her. 


	9. 9.5: Conflict in Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umbra and Alad have a row and Umbra's left to wonder if he's a dick or not.
> 
> Takes place while Kelpie's still Small Kelpie

Excalibur pinned Umbra’s back with a glare that could kill as he left Alad’s lab. It seemed he could never get some time alone just to talk with someone without him showing up.

“What was he doing here?” Umbra asked.

“Talking.” Alad said vaguely.

“So he knows about Kelpie then? What happened to all the secrecy?” he asked harshly.

“He promised to keep quiet, and they got along very well. I think she likes him better than you. She certainly warmed to him after he made her this.” he pointed to the loop of plastic in Kelpie’s hand that she was shaking to make the smaller, colorful rings on it jingle.

“So you’re saying he just comes here to see Kelpie? For most of the day? That’s why I can never find him?”

“He’s not here for most of the day, calm down. He spends most of his time with his team, since after the Golden Halls incident he rarely got to see them with your weeks-long training sessions.”

“Just...tell him to come see me. We’ve got a lot of work to do since he’s been playing hooky.” he said, pinching Kelpie’s cheek gently before turning to leave

“Try not to let anyone hear you squee on the way out.”

Umbra turned around, walking up to Alad until he was an inch from his face. “If you make fun of that one more time, I will release some recordings of the things you sing to Kelpie. Understood?”

“When did you hear that?” Alad questioned, more confused than intimidated. 

“Oh, I conveniently left a microphone somewhere here, recording straight to a remote data drive. I have quite a few hours of embarrassing things on there, including the one with the heavy accent. I assume you know what I’m referring to?”

“Bastard!” Alad said, face crimson. “That is completely different! And besides, it worked. Maybe there is something to this invoking after all.”

“How do you think I felt after a private moment with Kelpie got shared across the whole relay?! What made you think that was a good idea? I’ll bet that you didn’t even think about what it would do to me and my reputation. Now, instead of simply being able to walk through the relay, now the other frames snicker behind raised hands. They look my way, but speak in low voices. I don’t think that they’re swapping recipes, Alad.”

“Firstly, that filming was never intended for you. Second, I just found it nice that you showed some goddamn emotion for once. I know it's just you, but do you have any idea what your stone-faced, hard-assed personality is doing to your oh-so-beloved pupil?”

Umbra’s voice dropped dangerously low. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s doing to him, Alad?”

“You’re wearing him down, like ocean waves lapping at stones to make sand. It’s slow, but he really is starting to feel like he can do no right in your eyes. He’s not very quiet when he rants to Oberon.”

“Is that right? Let me tell you something, Alad. The world is a harsh place, inhabited by harsh people. They won’t spare a moment for your emotions. They won’t stop and feel sorry for you because all the bones in your left hand are crushed, and you can’t hold your weapon. They won’t help you if your arm is all but severed, hanging limp by what’s left of the skin, limping through the compound, trying to get away without attracting attention.” He took a deep breath, collecting himself. “Excalibur thinks that he isn’t ready. This is exactly why he isn’t ready. Combat is seventy-five percent mental, Alad. If your mind can withstand anything, your body will be willing to obey every command you issue to it.”

“So that obviously means you have to grind him with every breath, right? You know it’s not just the ability to wield a weapon that gets someone through a tough time. This might be the biggest cliche in the book, but it’s true. Sharing the burden, comradery, that’s part of it. You can’t just constantly keep bashing someone over the head with their failings and expect positive results. At least, not something that could be considered living. Eventually, they’ll just give up, and the mess that comes after could have easily been avoided.” He looked down at Kelpie, stroking the little skullcap of curly red hair she was growing, before replacing her in the tube.

Umbra took a deep breath and turned away from Alad. “Do not misunderstand. I am teaching Excalibur, that is true. But what I am teaching him goes beyond weapons, beyond combat, and into the realm of mental fortitude. You are not incorrect, I am wearing him down. I am trying to break him, though I hate myself for it. Everyone has a breaking point, Alad. Everyone. The problem is that few know where their breaking point lies. I know the point at which I break, I know the damage dealt, and the mess that comes after. I know the pain. You may contradict me, but I believe that this is something Excalibur needs, that everyone needs. And though I worry it may be too much, I will continue. If I break him beyond repair, I will never forgive myself. But if I am careful, he will come out the other side stronger. He will have the will to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. And if that includes beating me to a pulp, I will not raise a finger against him.” 

“That’s going to look like a very flimsy excuse once you’ve shattered what looks like a very promising frame.”

“A worry that I share, Alad.”

“Then stop. You don’t have to keep doing this to him, you know. Or you could at least lace your verbal beatings with something resembling light praise.” He paused for a moment. “You wouldn’t treat Garuda this way, would you?” 

“Of course I wouldn’t.” Umbra paused, considering. “Give me some time to think this over. In the meantime, stop referring to my squeal.”

“I will, just don’t say you were never warned.”

“Like I said, I need time to think it over. Though it may be safe to say that you have opened my eyes a bit.”

“Have fun with your little epiphany. One more thing, don’t you dare do the same thing to Kelpie. I don’t want to see her broken like Excalibur.” he growled, looking at the tiny girl in the tube, surviving by cables and force-fed oxygen.

Umbra looked over at Kelpie, then at Alad. “No, I don’t think I would dare.” he said, and left without another word.


	10. To Grow a Water Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few snippets of Kelpie's brief childhood.

Time flies when you’re raising a Warframe.

Naming Kelpie after a horse demon was very appropriate, Alad decided, watching her try to stand on legs so wobbly they could possibly even rival a newborn foal’s, instead of mere mimicry. She nearly made it all the way up before toppling over, giggling like mad and grinning at her father with her oddly sharp teeth. The sight both warmed his heart and served as a reminder that his time with Kelpie was very limited. Of course, all parents feel like their child grows too fast, but with her it was especially true, since her growth was being sped up. It hadn’t been too long ago that she was tiny enough to fit in his palm, and now here she was, looking like a one year old and already trying to walk. Time was his enemy, and the weeks Alad had with Kelpie outside of her tube were cherished, memories he wouldn’t exchange for all the wealth of the Origin System. 

But, as with all things, time passes on. And with passing time, comes passing moments. Moments, which, if captured, can be held and treasured forever. One such moment was when Alad had to leave to get supplies, and Umbra was forced to watch Kelpie for a few hours. Darvo had called Alad to his shop after having “recovered” from The Great Tube Heist, and wanted to yell at him, despite said heist having taken place weeks ago.

He wasn’t too keen on the idea, being a hardened warrior, and all that. But, as time wore on, Kelpie and her charm grew on him. Sure, she had times where, for example, accidentally strangling him with his own scarf, or trying to eat it. But he grew more attached to her, even rocking her to sleep in his arms. Once, he even let out an involuntary squeal of delight when she smiled at him.

Unfortunately, that had gotten caught on film. Come to find out (about two months later, to be exact), Alad had sent the footage of his squeal to Garuda, who thought that it was delightful. She, in turn, shared it with Valkyr, who showed Wisp. Eventually, every Warframe knew about Umbra’s slip-up, and he knew that he wouldn’t hear the end of it anytime soon.

Another such moment from Kelpie’s childhood was when Alad decided that it would be a good idea to bring back a few Kuaka from the Plains of Eidolon for Galatea to chase, because as much as she seemed to love to ride on his shoulder and watch him go about his work, she needed to stretch her still-growing legs. Come to find out, Kelpie loved chasing them, too. He turned his back for a few minutes to install a unit into a project, and he came back to find that Kelpie had one in her mouth, about to eat it.

“Kelpie!” he yelped, quickly yanking it out of her mouth by the tail. The little rodent gave a disgruntled squeak. “What do you think you’re doing?” She said nothing, just stared up at him with an adorable pout on her face. A lightbulb went off in his head. 

“And suddenly I think I may have solved your food problem.” he said, ringing up Umbra. 

“Yes, Alad?”

“Next time you go on a mission, bring me back some fleshy piece of a Grineer.”

“...Why?” 

“Experimenting, shut up and don’t question it.” 

“Okay, but you owe me one. Add it to the tally sheet that I know you keep.”

“I owe you nothing, Squealer.” 

Umbra growled to himself. “They will come to regret that.”

One mission later, Umbra came back with a severed arm stripped of armor. 

“Do you have any idea how annoying it was to carry this thing around?” he griped. 

“Yeah yeah, quit your whining and hand it over.” 

“What do you even need it for?” He asked, watching as Alad stripped some muscle off with Icefall.

“Kelpie.”

“...Kelpie?”

“Yes, she’s become quite the picky eater, but I think I’ve solved her problem,” he said, sitting her on his lap and offering the piece of muscle. She snatched it in her sharp little teeth, barely chewing before swallowing the whole thing.

Umbra looked back and forth between Alad and Kelpie. “Now what?”

“Now, we wait and see if she gets sick, and if she does, no more meat.”

“Isn’t that kind of harsh?”

“Life is harsh, Umbra. You know that.”

“True enough. Let me know if you need me.”

They waited a day, and Kelpie did not get sick. She also ate about half the arm. 

“Well, I guess that settles that!” Alad said, excited. “Would you mind terribly if I asked you to keep us supplied with meat? I’m sure Kelpie would be grateful. After all, I’ve only been feeding her gruel, and she was getting sick of it. Frighteningly, this seems to be what I should have been feeding her after I weaned her. Is it the Helminth making her this bloodthirsty?”

“I don’t know, Alad. This is your area of expertise.”

“Well, at least she’ll be getting some proper food for the rest of the week.” he said, casting a glare at the pilfered tube. “I suspect we’ll need to make a few changes around here, considering you’ll have to be sneaking stray body parts around.”

“Actually, I have been considering that. I could just stash them in an unused locker I know of, and you could pick them up. Clean and easy.”

“Yes, leave them to rot for a month or more until she’s out of the tube for a week. Genius.” 

“You know, Alad, sometimes your wit is so sharp you have to be careful to not cut yourself. Haven’t you ever heard of a cooling system? Just install one in the locker.”

“I have heard of it, and it takes a lot of work, and would probably draw even more attention.”

“Just tell them that you need it to cool your rock collection, I don’t care. Just come up with something.”

“The only rocks here are the ones inside your head.”

Umbra turned to the door. “Go soak your head, and while you’re at it, I’ll go find another limb. Because I’m compassionate like that.”

Alad rolled his eyes as Umbra left with a flick of his scarf. Kelpie cooed cheerfully, her teeth stained red. He thought back to her namesake, and wondered if he was doing this right, wondering if kelpie mares raised their foals on blood instead of milk from the very beginning. He ran his fingers through the small mess that was her short red hair, nearly grown, and probably very soft. He pulled off his glove, confirming. She snuggled against him and sighed, looking content. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Trying to work gets interesting when you’d got a barely grown Warframe in the body of a five year old girl.

Kelpie dashed around the relay, chasing after Galatea. Lucky for her (and Alad) it was mostly empty of Warframes, except for her donors, who are watching her run around like a hyperactive kubrow with varying levels of amusement. 

“Careful!” Ivara warned as Kelpie took a dive. 

“I’m ok!” she said, springing up like a weed, unphased. “See?”

“Yeah, this time, but you could still hurt yourself.” she said, dusting the little girl off. “What are you even doing out here running around?”

“Oh...uh, I knocked something over and Daddy had me come out here to play with Gala.” she said, and suddenly everything made sense. Ivara patted the little girl on her mass of red curls. 

“I’d play with you, but I’m a tad busy right now. Why don’t you go find Excalibur? He’s around her somewhere, and I’m sure he’d like to.”

“Ok!” she said, flitting away to find Excalibur, who turned out to be walking with Oberon and trying to dodge Umbra. She ran up next to him and tugged on the string of large beads on his belt.

“Scally!”

“Oh hey Kelpie, where did you come from?” he asked.

“I broke a thing so Daddy threw me out.” she answered, sounding very unremorseful. 

“You’ve gotta be careful around your dad’s work, you know?”

“Yeah…so will you play with me?”

“Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do.”

Oberon watched the pair chase each other around, hiding behind pillars and plants. Umbra came up next to him, watching Excalibur act like a fool and shaking his head.

“Does he have nothing less...childish he can do?” he asked Oberon.

“He’s just having fun with her, lighten up. She doesn’t have much time like this, you know that.” 

“He’s a Warframe, she’s a child.”

“A child who will be a Warframe one day. Come Umbra, can you really be so dense?”

“I’m not being dense, I’m being realistic.”

“So that means he’s not allowed to give her some happy memories before she’s drenched in a world of blood and violence? Look at her, Umbra, she’s barely up to your knees. Soon enough she’s going to be fighting with us. Not to mention how others might react to her. Let her have this to turn to when the darkness falls, and let Excalibur have a break from your relentless drilling.”

“It’s not relentless drilling, Oberon, it’s preparing him for what you just described. Violence and darkness.”

“Why do you treat him like an errant child? He’s already experienced it, he’s already fighting in it, and doing a damn good job of it too. I don’t see why you have to keep him constantly sharpening his knives without him having a chance to dull them first.”

“I treat him like I do because he still has a long way to go before he is ready to be on his own, Oberon. You know that.”

“Oh, don’t give me that excuse, Umbra. I’ve seen him fight, he’s good. Not perfect, but he’s come miles ahead of when we found him. You might want to lighten up on him before he starts hating you.” he said, before running off to join Excalibur and Kelpie, who waved at him cheerfully when she noticed him. Umbra was left standing alone, watching them play together. Somewhere, deep down, he found himself wishing he could join them, but it was not a conscious thought, and he would have stopped himself if it had been.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
So little time had passed yet it looked like so much. Kelpie had grown quite a bit, and despite not being anywhere near the age, looked and acted 16. She still clung to Alad as tightly as ever, albeit in a way much less childish, but she still loved him with everything her heart had, and the fact that they shared no genetics never seemed to factor into it. She saw Alad as her father, and Alad saw Kelpie as his daughter, and she trusted him with nearly every worry or fear.

However, Alad didn’t always have the answers to her questions. For example, the time when she asked him, “What is it like to become a Warframe? Is there anything that I should expect?”

Alad sat up straight and looked at her, his heart aching. 

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. When the Lotus asked me to do this, she threw me into the dark. I’ve asked some of the others but they don’t remember.”

Kelpie hung her head, then looked up at Alad with a smile. “It’s okay, dad. You’ll figure something out, won’t you?”

“I’ll do my best, at the very least, if I can’t tell you what exactly is going to happen, I’ll do my best to make the pain minimal.That’s the least I can do for you.” He cupped her cheek gently.

“Do you think that the pain will be...bad?” She looked away from him, nervous.

“Well, I can definitely assume it won’t be a very pleasant process. To what degree, that I can’t say, and it’s very annoying to have all these gaps and practically nothing to tell you.”

“Okay, dad, I trust you.” She looked back to him, forcing a smile onto her face.

“You don’t have to feign bravery for me. If I were you, I’d be terrified.” 

“I am, dad, but you don’t need me worrying about it. You already have more on your plate than you can handle.”

“Kelpie, you are quite literally the most important thing in my life, and my priority. If you need to talk, I will listen.” 

“Are...are you sure? I don’t want you to get tired of listening to my problems…” she looked down. “After all, I’m only one person, and you have other responsibilities, you know.”

“I am absolutely sure. I don’t know what’s going to happen to you after I give you the Helminth, and I don’t know if it’ll ruin you or harm you in some unknowable way. All I can do is be there for you so hopefully if anything does go wrong, you know I never wanted it.” 

Kelpie ran up and hugged Alad. “No matter what happens, I love you, dad!”

Alad hugged her back, holding her close and wishing desperately that he never had to let her go.


	11. The Opening Petals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like father like daughter, Kelpie's emotions also go to funkytown, if to a slightly less breakdowny-degree.

Well, this was it. Now or never. Alad looked at the needle filled with the strain of Helminth, and his hands started to shake. This was worse than when he had to start making Kelpie. So much worse. He looked over at her, strapped down on the operating table and felt sick, and all too reminded of Valkyr. 

_ This is completely different.  _ And yet it felt even more vile than what he’d done to her. 

Kelpie didn’t look too pleased about it either, but both of them had committed to the procedure. It was much too late to stop now, for it would all be in vain. But they could not bring themselves to start, at least without saying something to each other. 

“Dad...if anything goes wrong...I want you to know that I don’t blame you at all...and I never will.” 

“Oh, Kelpie…” Alad choked up. Planting a kiss on her forehead, he said, “I love you, don’t forget that.”

“I won’t.”

Alad sent her off into a dreamless sleep and glared at the Helminth like it was Nef Anyo’s severed head. Not even the Lotus’s kind words could ease the knot of dread, but it was now or never. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alad had made a monster. A beautiful monster. 

She was a dark, mottled green all over, like a deep freshwater pool full of weeds and lotus leaves, with a head reminiscent of a horse’s, and a large fin centered on the back of her head, extending to her neck, the webbing translucent. In place of her eyes, there were emitters, four on each side, lined up large to small toward her nose. Her “ears” were equine, placed on the top of her head, pointed forward, and a growth on the right side of her head that looked like a water lily was nestled in front of the right one. The same growth appeared on her left shoulder, and one on each hip, all colored a soft, pale pink. Buildwise she looked powerful and sturdy but still feminine. Her hands were webbed, as well as the outside of her arms, and had interlocking plated scales down her torso. Her feet were quite unique, having a hoof in between two webbed toes. Her legs were horse-like as well; powerful, but long and graceful. 

A creature of the water, a beast of the deep lochs; a kelpie. The Helminth had spun her into a Warframe of her namesake. 

Kelpie awoke to a dark room and near complete silence, except for the mute footfalls of Galatea snooping around. Her first thought was of Alad. 

“Dad? Are you there?” No response. He was most likely asleep, most likely completely exhausted, yet she was desperate to see him. She tested the restraints on her arms and legs. There was no give, no room to slip out. She sighed, wanting out but also not wanting to wake up her most likely dead-on-his-feet father. 

She looked down at herself, it slowly dawning on her what exactly had gone down in the time she had been out. She felt heavy, like she’d been wrapped in sheet metal, and very woozy. This was her now. The lilies on her hips glowed very softly in the dim room, illuminating just enough of it for her to see herself. She twisted her head, looking over at her left arm. Another water lily shined on her shoulder, it’s slender, lurid pink petals a stark contrast to the deep green of the rest of her. She flexed her fingers and felt the webbing flex with them, flexed her toes and the webbing of her four strange toes was folded neatly against her leg to protect them while not in use. She raised and lowered her head against, feeling something open, trying to crane her neck enough to see more. She was at once fascinated and horrified by her transformation. Her throat felt raw and dry, and she swallowed a few times.

_ So what now? _ She thought as she glanced at herself again. She was a Warframe. A real, honest to the Lotus Warframe, made from the ground up, but she was one. A mix of fear and excitement bloomed in the pit of her stomach. This was her now, it was really her. 

She didn’t know what to make of it.

On one hand, she had just been initiated into the faction of the most powerful, feared, and revered warriors in the system. That was a big leap from being the cloned daughter of an ex-Corpus. 

On the other hand...would she even do well? Could she live up to this legend? More importantly, would the other frames see her as one of them, or a copy? Artificial, a pale imitation. She recalled meeting Excalibur’s operator, Kallic. She definitely didn’t have one. Should she? Could she even still be herself if she got one, a Void child as a guide? And could she bring herself to kill, knowing it was for the good of the system but still thinking about taking a life?

And  _ why _ was she so bloody ravenous? 

She thought - _ knew _ \- that Warframes didn’t eat, yet she craved flesh. She’d craved it ever since she was weaned, but now she wanted it more than ever, wanted to sink her teeth in it and feel blood coat her tongue, taste the iron in it, rip and tear and devour. Her fingers curled, and she stamped the urges down. Now was not the time to turn into a bloodthirsty monster. Now she had to pick her way carefully. Things would not be so bad. She had some friends already, and the Lotus, who she’d met a few times, but already felt deeply connected to, and she had Alad, who she desperately wanted to see. She tried calling for him again.

“Dad? I’m awake!” she called, a bit louder. Still no response.

“Dad?” her voice falling again. Still nothing.

“Dad!” Nothing but the echoes off the metal walls. Galatea’s eyes flashed in the dim light as she prowled.

“Dad!” Kelpie yelled now, starting to panic. This was all too much, and she just wanted Alad. She was somewhat aware of his less than clean past, but that didn’t come into play in their relationship. Between her rapidly aging body and mind, he was the most stable thing in her life, and she clung to him. 

She heard a loud  _ thump, _ and some even louder swearing in Corpus, and felt extremely relieved. 

“Dad!”

“What?! You’re awake?!” Alad quickly found his way over to Kelpie, taking just enough time to not trip over anything between him and the table. 

“Well, I don’t feel like I’m asleep, that’s for sure.” 

“The  _ one _ night I manage to fall asleep is the night you wake up, isn’t it?” 

“Heh...sorry. I just kind of...stopped being out I guess.”

“Yes, that’s how waking up works.” he joked, undoing her restraints. The pressure around her ankles and wrists relaxed, and she sat up, swinging her legs over the side before almost completely losing her balance and falling off the table. Alad rushed over and caught her just before she completely tipped over.

“You haven’t been up and about for four weeks, take it slowly.” 

“I haven’t been up for four weeks, my legs feel like coiled springs.” 

“More like coiled slinkies. You’ll wobble more than Galatea on her catnip if you just jump up now. Sit for a while, more your legs and get your blood going again.” 

“Fine. Can you at least get me a mirror so I can see my face?” 

“Sure, give me a second.” he came back holding a slab of glass.   
  
“So turns out I don’t actually own a mirror, I just occasionally glance at myself in whatever reflective surface is available because, well... _ this, _ ” he gestured to his face. “But I do have this. Take a look.”

“You don’t look  _ that _ bad.” Kelpie said, taking the glass from him and looking into it. Or, tried to. Her short muzzle made it a bit difficult. “Is it supposed to be this hard to look at yourself?”

“It could always be worse. I may be biased here, but I think you’re the most beautiful Warframe in the system.”

“You’re very biased, Dad.”

“Father knows best, Uisge.” he said, booping her playfully on the nose. She shook her head in a very horse-like fashion. 

“I haven’t heard you call me that in a long time.” 

“Ironic, it’s even less fitting now, but it’s still cute on you. You know, it was going to be your name, originally, but I relegated it to a pet name. The Each Uisge might be a creature on par with the Kelpie in terms of something I’d never want to meet, but the name leaves...a lot to be desired. You’ve got to strike fear into your enemies, not laughter. Nezha already has that covered.”

“Who is Nezha?”

“Oh, he’s just one of the other Warframes. He’s small and fast, but very immature, and more trouble than he’s worth to work with.”

“He can’t be all that bad, he’s a Warframe, isn’t he?”

“Anyone can be bad, Kelpie, no matter what they are. What you are doesn’t dictate that. But yes, he’s mostly harmless.”

“But…” Kelpie was confused. She had always thought that the Warframes were an honorable, united force for good.

“I know, I know. Aren’t the Warframes supposed to act as one, in the best interest for everyone?” Alad took a deep breath. “Well, I’m sure that it started out that way, when the Tenno first got together and revolted from the Orokin. It still is like that, for the most part. But there are a few Warframes, acting out of their own personal interest, rather than the Tenno’s interest as a whole. You must remember that, like you, they’re all their own people and can do as they wish.”

“Doesn’t the Lotus have any say, though? Like, with Umbra and Excalibur? Can’t she do something about that?”

“I don’t know. She’s not very...up front about her abilities, and it’s not like they’re acting maliciously, just with more...self interest. There isn’t a reason for her to intervene.” 

Kelpie nodded slowly. “Okay, I understand.”

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Remember, it’s normal to feel nervous, just don’t let it keep you from doing what has to be done.”

“I won’t.”   
  


“Besides, you’ll be with some of the best fighters we have. Everything will turn out fine.”

“I hope you're right.” 


	12. Atropa Belladonna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Place your bets

Saryn was standing alone, leaning against a pillar, away from the main crowd of the relay, and just observing. Mag was off on some mission, so Saryn was left to her own devices, which was just fine with her. She didn’t actually need Mag, just liked having her around.

Her eyes had been wandering around the crowd, waiting and watching for some slip-up, some sort of leverage to use against someone to gain a favor for use in the future. As she was watching, a new Warframe she hadn’t seen before exited Alad’s lab, looking nervously at all the strange new frames, or, new to her at least . Oberon came up to her quickly, typical of him, she thought, until she noticed the way in which they spoke together. It was as if they already knew each other, though how, she couldn’t tell. She watched Oberon gesture at the crowd around them, and the new frame nodded. Oberon guided her through the massed frames, introducing her to several along the way. 

Why had this new frame exited Alad’s lab, she wondered. Thinking back, Saryn hadn’t noticed a new frame enter the relay. She hadn’t even heard about it. Normally, a new frame was something to be celebrated, and word always spread like wildfire. Why had she not heard of this one? She racked her brain, but nothing came up. This new one was a piece of work as well. Albeit… Why… Why was she so horrible?  _ Seriously, what Orokin let  _ that  _ be a thing? I thought they valued beauty and art, not a mutated horse. She looks so incredibly wrong, I don’t have the words to describe it. Like a mockery. What a wretch.  _ She thought, venomously. 

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. No.  _ No. _ It couldn’t be, could it? The very thought was absurd, and yet...it was the only plausible answer. The possibility of it disgusted her. Still, though, she found it hard to believe, at least at first. Had Alad really  _ built his own Warframe _ ? 

She decided to get closer to them, try to gather information. Walking silently towards a group gathered around her, she began to pick up what was being said. Suddenly, she noticed that Nidus was part of the group, and her heart leapt, briefly. Nidus, her beloved Nidus. Too scared to talk to him, she crushed on him from a distance, hoping one day she'd have the courage to tell him how she felt, and mentally cursed herself for not being at that point already. Sulking, but determined, she kept moving towards the conversation.

“How long were you unconscious?” asked one of the frames.

“About four weeks, according to Dad,” answered the mystery frame. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“What abilities did you gain?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m going to Earth in a couple days, though, so I guess I’ll find out.” The new frame seemed nervous to be answering so many questions. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

One of the other frames in the crowd said, “You haven’t told us your name. What is it?” A chorus of agreement followed the question.

“Oh! My name is Kelpie. Er, yours?”

“Gauss, nice to meet you.” He held out a hand while shuffling his feet on the ground, never able to keep completely still. She took it in her webbed one.

Saryn shivered.  _ Webbed fingers _ . Creepy. A creature of the water, it looked. Most warframes weren’t huge fans of water, and Saryn was one of them. This... _ thing _ was supposed to be an ally? Ivara and Hydroid were one thing, but this? She was disgusted by the thought. There would be no help found in her for Kelpie. The name sounded familiar too, something humans made up, but she was a tad rusty on human myths. She could run it past the Quills later, they’d be sure to know something. 

Harrow came up and put an arm around her shoulder. She looked surprised by the friendly gesture, and Saryn shuddered, having thought Harrow had more sense than to touch a slimy thing like that. She started thinking about how Hydroid was slimy too, so maybe it would balance out.

She was so lost in thought, that she didn’t notice Kelpie standing in front of her, holding out her hand, looking expectantly at her. Jarred from her reverie, she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“It’s alright.” Kelpie said politely. At least she had manners. Saryn took her hand, reluctantly, while Harrow pinned her with a death glare that said:  _ Behave, or I’ll hit you upside the head with the thurible.  _

Saryn released Kelpie’s hand, then wiped it on her leg when no one was looking.  _ She had shaken her hand. _ She trembled at the thought.  _ Gross. _

“So, where did you come from? I haven’t seen you around before,” she questioned, feigning her own politeness. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Uh, funny story about that, actually. I’ve never been anywhere else in my life. Dad grew me in his lab, and when I was old enough, gave me the Helminth, which turned me into this.”

“Dad?”

“Alad.” Harrow answered. “You recall Ivara talking about the project the Lotus gave him right? Well, she’s it. She turned out quite well, with everything that was going against her, I’d say.”

That skinny, pallid, creepy-eyed, ex-Corpus bastard? So her suspicions were true, and it explains her repulsiveness. Worse, she actually  _ thought of him as a father. _ Saryn couldn’t disagree with Harrow more, but withheld her own thoughts.  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Well, Kelpie, I do have to go, but I’m sure I’ll see you around,” Saryn said in the politest tone she could muster.

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you later then.” Kelpie was led away by Harrow, and Saryn breathed a sigh of relief. As she was leaving, she spied Kelpie and Nidus together, along with Harrow and,  _ bleh _ , Equinox. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Nidus!” Kelpie called cheerfully, running up to him and hugging him. Saryn felt sick.

“Kelpie! Looks like the Helminth treated you well!”  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Yup! I can touch you now, too! I remember Dad telling me how you never dared hold me when I was small so you didn’t infect me too early. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Glad I don’t, and I’m glad that the Helminth I gave him went to good use. In hindsight I really regret just yanking that cyst out of my neck, it hurt something  _ fierce _ .” 

“Well, if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here. So thank you.” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

Nidus picked her up and spun her around, Kelpie laughing happily all the while, and Saryn’s heart gained another coating of ice. She desperately wished it was her in Nidus’s arms. Someday.  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“You look very well.” Equinox told her, after her and Nidus were done with their reunion. “I am also quite pleased my blood yielded fruit. It was...not a pleasant experience drawing it.”  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“I’m grateful you did, anyway. I didn’t know you and Nidus were friends.”  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“For less time than you would expect, since he’s so stubborn.” She jabbed playfully. 

“I can’t disagree with that, unfortunately. I wasn’t always this nice.” 

_ You were always perfect,  _ Saryn thought, clenching her fists and turning to leave. She’d seen enough, as much as she wanted to keep watching Nidus, he couldn’t bear seeing her with that...failed experiment. That repulsive, vile,  _ evil _ looking beast. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alad had finally let Kelpie out the lab to wander around and meet the other frames, but only under strict orders to avoid any trouble. And so, she walked around the relay, meeting a few Warframes, waving at others. Some were more friendly, some merely gave her a respectful nod, but she definitely didn’t feel like an outcast. 

Umbra and Garuda watched all of this from a bench, her head leaned on his shoulder. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“The overall reaction seems positive for now, although I do notice a few sideways glances.” Gardua said,watching the new frame trot around the relay, Oberon and his team helping her around.  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

Umbra stayed silent for a while, watching the reactions and manners of the Warframes who didn’t go up to Kelpie. He wondered what she would have to go through, to truly be counted as part of the Tenno. Finally, he spoke up.

“She has a hard road ahead of her. I feel sorry for her, in more ways than one,” he said, putting his arm around Garuda. [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“How’s that, dear?” she asked him.

“She is so different from everyone else here. That alone will make it hard for her to win friends. Also, her being the de facto daughter to Alad makes it even worse, in some people’s eyes.”

“I don’t know, she seems to be making friends already, and not just with the rest of Oberon’s team.” she said, watching her talking with Harrow, who had his arm around her shoulders in a welcoming gesture, and the small group of other frames who’d come to introduce themselves.

“Sure, for now. But what about those who don’t want her around? Those who, despite what she may do, despise her prescence anyway?”

“Saryn.” Garuda said, without hesitation. “Without a doubt, Saryn, the bitch. If nothing else, she’ll hate Kelpie for having part of Nidus making her up.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. After some time, Garuda spoke up again. 

“Do you think that there’s something we can do?” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“Warn her, and maybe shake a sword at Saryn too, although I doubt that’ll do much. She’s as poisonous as they come.”

“Why must she make things more complicated than they already are?” Garuda lamented.

“She has only her best interests at heart. Anything else beyond that, forget it.” Umbra took a deep breath. “I wish she could see for herself the damage she does to the Tenno, sowing her lies like seeds and turning friends against each other with her prejudices. She wasn’t always this way, and I have to wonder what changed.”

Garuda looked up at Umbra in surprise. “She wasn’t always like that? How do you know?”

“I learned her story from Nyx. When she first arrived, she was sweet, helpful, and willing to take on burdens that others would not. Over time, she became less helpful, seeming to value her own agenda over others' needs. The thing is, she never told anyone what happened. Something changed, to be sure, but exactly what is left to mystery.” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“I’d like to find out what it is, one day. Maybe Mag would know, but I doubt we’ll get it from her, since she’s basically Saryn’s handbag kubrow puppy.” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“You know, it’s a sad thing that Saryn was able to snap up Mag like that.” Umbra said. “She’s not bad, not at heart, but she worships Saryn like a goddess. It really is a deep bond that forms between the first people you meet after getting out of those cryos.”

“It’s lucky Excalibur, Sol, and Mani didn’t fall into the same trap, then. Oberon and his team definitely seem to have a knack for running into new frames.”  [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

There was a pause in the conversation. Finally, Garuda asked, “How long do you think it’ll take Saryn to start preying on Kelpie?” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“As long as it takes her to discover Kelpie exists and where exactly she came from. After that...I hope she’ll be able to take it.” Umbra replied, pulling her a bit closer.

“And if she can’t?”

“It won’t end well for her. I shudder to think of what Alad will do to Saryn, in that case.”

“You think he could make a dent in her? Really? More likely she’d break him like a twig.”

“You haven’t seen Icefall yet, have you?” Umbra looked over at her.

“One zaw versus an entire Warframe...are you sure about that?” [  
](https://9gag.com/gag/a5R4EXL)

“One wrathful father against his daughter’s predator. You’d be surprised the lengths parents will go to defend and avenge their children. Even if said child is a Warframe and not biologically related.”

“You may be right…” Garuda paused. She wondered what having a child would be like, and in the back of her mind wished for one of her own.

“Kelpie has a very treacherous way ahead of her, that I can say for sure. It’s unfortunate, but I feel like there will be tears before this is all over.” 

“You may be right, but for everyone’s sake, let’s hope you’re not.”

“Believe me, Garuda, this is the one time I’m praying that I’m wrong.”


	13. Rising Flood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie has her first mission, Loki hates water, and Vauban needs better friends!

“First mission, Kelpie! Are you excited?” Oberon asked her as they trudged through the knee deep water that only she really seemed to not mind. 

“I am, but I’m really nervous at the same time. I really don’t want to make any stupid mistakes, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. It might be hard to believe but I was in your position once. My first mission was a  _ mess _ .” 

Valkyr chimed in. “Actually, it’s really easy to believe, considering that you were a complete noob who didn’t know anything about your abilities.”

“Shut up, Valky.” He looked over at her. “And don’t give me that look, you earned that nickname.”

She made a sound reminiscent of an angry kavat, and turned away from him.

“What was your first mission, Oberon?” Kelpie asked, curious.

“Spy. I failed it, too. Triggered literally every single alarm, didn’t get any data, and by the time I managed to make it to extraction there was an army on my ass.” 

“Oh, no! That must have been horrible! I hope this mission doesn’t go like that.” 

“Don’t worry, Kelpie, we’re all in this together. It’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

The group kept advancing toward the target, growing quiet as they got closer. When they finally reached the cryopod, they could already hear the footsteps and shouts of advancing Grineer. Oberon began issuing orders to the group.

“Alright, everyone pick a side. Kelpie, if you need help or a heal, just holler.”

“Right.” She nodded to herself, determined to do a good job.

Suddenly, Valkyr, who was closest to the entrance, shouted, “Here they come, get ready!”

Oberon clapped Kelpie on the right shoulder. “Just stay by the cryo and don’t wander off unless you really need to go look for ammo or energy. It’s tempting, but don’t do it.”

Kelpie handled her Paris nervously. Loki had drilled her with the bow relentlessly, but it still felt wrong in her hands. Like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit. She was much more comfortable with the Galatine that Excalibur had given her, as it was much simpler to use than the bow. She gave it a few experimental swings. 

“Treat her well, and she’ll never fail you.” Excalibur had told her. He seemed very proud to be passing on an old weapon to the newest Warframe. Kelpie remembered the glow of pride she had felt to be given such a weapon.

And then shots started ringing out, snapping her back to reality. Her teammates jumped into action, splashing through the flooded base to get to their targets.

Kelpie, unsure of what to do, froze on the spot. She had never been in action before, and she found her first time terrifying. Excalibur waded up next to her. 

“Just swing it, she’ll do the rest.” 

She turned her head to look at him, but just as she did, she was blindsided by an enemy. Caught off-guard, she swung Galatine, too hard. The weight of the massive blade pulled her off-balance, and she fell over. Excalibur was immediately there, helping her to her feet and adjusting her stance.   
  
“Here, put your feet apart and crouch just a bit, put your shoulders into it...there you go, now you can balance it. You’re the only one not slipping up in all this water, so you’ve got an advantage.” 

“S-shouldn’t you be worrying about fighting?”

“Nah, there’s always time to help the newbie. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for oberon, Valkyr, and Loki doing the same thing for me, so now I’m going to help you, and maybe one day you’ll be helping some poor schmuck who just crawled out of their pod.” 

Kelpie gave him a grateful look, and took up her stance. Nervously, she started targeting enemies, and taking them down. It wasn’t as hard as she thought, though the others made it look so much easier than she could ever manage to. She didn’t have the same elegant movements as Oberon with his Bo Prime, or the raw brutality of Valkyr, or Excalibur's versatility. However, she did seem to be at home in the water. It gave her a calming feeling, somehow. She decided to explore this new feeling further when she had a chance.

For now though…

She quickly got into more of a flow, and was now actually scoring kills. Not as many as her teammates, but she was finally moving. She ran around the pod, cutting Grineer in half and kicking up large sprays of floodwater. Things went on this way for a while, with Kelpie even managing to steal a few kills from her teammates. She didn’t notice, though, that she was venturing farther away from the cryopod, and her teammates were busy with their own kills. 

After a bit, she noticed a group of enemies down a hallway, and decided that they didn’t need their heads anymore. Running down the hallway, she managed to kill them, but didn’t notice the others sneak up behind her. By the time she had finished, and turned around, she was blocked off from her teammates by more than a dozen Grineer. 

_ This would not be a problem for literally anyone else, so it shouldn’t be one for me,  _ thought Kelpie. _ , I’m a Warframe now. I should be fine. _

She charged straight into the thick of them, cutting and slashing her way through. It didn’t take her long to realize that she was out of her depth. There were simply too many to keep track of, and she couldn’t dodge all of their bullets. She started taking more and more damage, her health decreasing faster and faster. 

“Oberon!” She yelled, wondering if he’d even hear her all the way back at the cryopod.

Oberon was in the middle of healing Excalibur, when he thought he heard someone yell his name. He looked up, but couldn’t see anyone. Then, looking around, he realized that Kelpie wasn’t there. 

“Kelpie!” He yelled, but couldn’t hear a reply over the sound of the battle. He turned to Valkyr.

“I’m going to go find Kelpie, I can’t see her anywhere! Hold it down here until we get back!” She simply nodded in reply. Oberon found her in the nick of time, sliding to throw up a spray, then going to town with his Bo and activating Renewal to heal her. As quick as he was, he wasn’t fast enough to save her from being knocked out. 

“I’m sorry, Oberon.” She squeaked as he revived her. 

“It’s alright, Kelpie, I’m here now.” He reassured her, helping her up.

“You were right about staying by the cryopod. I won’t do it again, I promise.”   
  


“I know you won’t, now that you know why, and you’ve experienced it for yourself. Sooner or later, all of us fall for this trap. All of us have learned our lesson, and now you have, too.”

Just then, Valkyr’s voice could be heard yelling, “Oberon! We have a problem!”

Oberon and Kelpie rushed back to the main room, just in time to see the cryopod overwhelmed with enemies. There was a series of sickening crunches.

"Well, shit."

Kelpie wasn’t sure what had happened. “What do you mean?”

"They got to the cryopod." He said simply, trying to not sound like he was blaming her.

“Oh...oh! By the Lotus, I'm so sorry! This is my fault, isn't it? You had to come help me and everyone was stretched too thin." 

"Don't think like that, Kelpie, it's not so bad." He reassured her.

"It is though!"

Oberon took her by the shoulders. “Listen, Kelpie. Even though we’re the best fighters in the system, we  _ can’t _ win every time. Sometimes this happens, and it does no good to blame yourself for it.”

She just shook her head. “It wouldn’t have gotten smashed if we were all back there. I just had to go be an idiot and overextend.”

Valkyr came up behind them, looking very displeased with her feet getting soaked.. “At this point, it doesn’t matter whose fault it was. Don’t blame yourself, Kelpie. Learn from the experience, and be better for next time.”

Kelpie simply shook her head, looking miserable. “It’s my fault! If not for me ignoring your advice, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Oberon put an arm around her shoulders gently. While to some it her insistence on taking the blame might be annoying, she was not the first fledgling he’d helped, and it was common. To him, it meant she wanted to take responsibility, the first step towards improving. 

“Trust me, Kelpie, things happen. It hurts in the moment, and you don’t think that you’ll ever be able to move past it. But that feeling will pass, and if you’ve learned your lesson, you won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Alright, I guess.” She sounded unconvinced but hopeful. 

Oberon patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll be alright.”

“Please don’t...play this up, if you get what I mean.”

“I promise, Kelpie. Valkyr, Excalibur?”

“Of course not. I remember how Valkyr played up my epic failure in that archwing mission we did together. I didn’t show my face in the relay for  _ weeks _ .”

Oberon nodded. “Valkyr? You won’t go talking about this everywhere?”

Valkyr sighed, then nodded as well. “I promise, and I’ll make sure Loki keeps his trap clammed as well.”

“Lucky, you’ve caught her in a good mood. If it was me she’d be shouting it from the roofs of Fortuna.” Excalibur teased.

Kelpie looked over at Valkyr, nervous. “Please don’t, Valkyr.”

“I only do it to Excalibur.” she reassured.

“Because she hates me.”

“Because it’s funny. I do it to Oberon too, it’s just he always puts hoof to ass on his missions and there’s nothing to mock him over.”

Oberon sighed. “Alright, let’s get to extraction. Valkyr, go get your boyfriend. He hates water, so he’s probably hiding up high somewhere.”

“I know, Bambi, he’s  _ my _ boyfriend, after all.” Valkyr turned and waved over her shoulder. “Loki and I will meet you there.”

It didn’t take long for her to find Loki. He was balancing on a wire and glaring at the flood below. 

“Loki, what are you doing?”

“Water is evil! I don’t wanna touch it.”

Valkyr sighed internally. “And why, pray tell, is water evil?” An annoying little voice in the back of her mind reminded her that Loki was named after a fire god. She told that voice to stuff it.

“It just is! I hate water. It’s...gross, and wet, and it shouldn’t exist.”

“Well, how are you going to get to extraction, then?” Valkyr was trying to hold her laughter in.

“Uh…” 

Valkyr waited for a bit. Then, she was struck with an idea. 

“Why don’t I carry you out?” she asked him.

“Will you not dunk me in?”

“Loki I’ve known about your aquaphobia for ages, of course I won’t. Just come down here, you big kubrow puppy.”

“Fine.” 

Loki climbed down gingerly, being very careful not to slip. By the time he was down, Valkyr was reduced to sighing, facepalming, and harder laughter.

Loki sulked at her laughter, not understanding the way she was acting. “What? I’m moving so that I won’t slip and fall into the water. What’s so funny about that?”

“You look like a kavat.”

He gave her a dirty look. “No, I don’t. You look like one.”

“Whatever you say. Just hurry up and get over here.”

“I won’t. Because, if I do, and I fall, you will be responsible for telling me to hurry up.”

“Alright, alright.”

Five minutes later, Valkyr waded to the rest of her comrades, Loki helds in her arms in a very kavat-like way. Despite the mockery, he seemed quite happy being held. 

Excalibur couldn’t help himself. “Where’d you find that, Valkyr? Are you gonna keep it for a pet?”

“The only one who’s allowed to say things like that to him is me, Scally.” 

“That’s fair, but don’t go calling me ‘Scally,’ or Wisp might take offense. Better yet,  _ I _ might take offense.”   
  
“Whatever you say.” she said, flicking him playfully on the forehead.

Oberon looked around at the group. “Does that settle everything before we leave? Anyone want to say anything about anything? Or are we done with making fun of each other?”

“We’re good.” Excalibur gave Valkyr a dirty look.

“Okay then. Let’s get out of here.” Oberon shuffled everyone to extraction.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I am so glad to know I found somebody else who thinks she’s repulsive.” Saryn said quietly, looking around to make sure nobody was around. “I mean...what was the Lotus thinking?” 

“I’m not so sure that she _was_ thinking, if I’m honest,” Ash answered her. “I do respect the Lotus, but Kelpie is...a bit absurd. And why _Alad?_ Repurposing him as a crafter, ok, that I get. But does she not remember what he did to Valkyr?” He threw up his hand in frustration. “I can’t fathom her reasoning on this.”

“Neither can I. She failed her first mission, which is normal for most rookies, but she’s not most rookies, is she? She’s a damned fake Warframe, genetic mess and all. Of course she’d fail, and she’ll keep failing, and Oberon and others like him will just keep trying to prop her up and weakening all of us.”

Standing in a corner, Vauban was listening to their discussion, and wondered for the millionth time why he put up with Saryn. His answer to that was always pity. Most frames knew what her game was, and avoided her. But she liked him, for some reason, and none of her tricks worked on him. It was, admittedly, a very odd friendship, but it worked. In fact, he acted a kind of restraining influence on her, keeping her from too violent a scheme. He sighed, knowing it was time to shine, and for once didn’t mind the amount of gold that was his prime. She and Ash parted ways, and he strided over to confront her.

“Saryn, what are you doing?” he asked, with the air of an annoyed older sibling. 

“Why do you want to know?” she demanded. 

Vauban leaned towards her, talking quietly. 

“I heard everything you said.”

“You know I’m right, Vauban.”

“You’re not though. Kelpie might be a bit...odd, but I met her a few minutes ago, she’s not  _ so  _ bad. I might not like Alad, but she herself is a different person. She just needs some practice.” 

“You don’t get it, do you?” She shook her head in disappointment. “I thought better of you.”

“Don’t start with the personal attacks. I know you’re not a nice girl, but you know that doesn’t work. Why can’t you leave Kelpie alone? What is this thing that I’m not getting.”

“She’s the weak link. She’s not a real Warframe! She’s a mockery, she’s...she’s an abomination to us and everything we are!”

“She talked to Nidus, didn’t she?”

“This has nothing to do with Nidus!” she snarled. 

“Alright, alright.” he said, not really believing her. He was the only one she’d confessed her passionate love of Nidus to, and all he could think was be glad that poor Nidus loathed her. 

“Even if it did, I would be doing him a favor, protecting him from that wretched creature!” she spat. 

“Whatever you say Saryn. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“What I’m doing is for the good of the Tenno.”

“Bad mouthing her with Ash?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“He’s not the only one who doesn‘t like her, you know. Not everyone is going to kiss her ass, not everyone wants her. I certainly don’t, and soon the others will realize just what a hindrance she is. A fake, a pretender. She’ll never be one of us.” Saryn said, in a tone that suggested she thought it was gospel truth. 

Vauban was divided. On the one hand, he disagreed with Saryn, as far as Kelpie herself was concerned. But...he really didn’t like how much trust the Lotus was putting in Alad, or how loyal Kelpie was to him. That could become a destructive relationship later on. If Alad decided to turn on them, and knew how to make Warframes...he didn’t like that possibility at all. 

“I can see where you’re coming from, but at the very least, stop acting like you’re planning a coup, and don’t be awful to Kelpie. She hasn’t done a thing to you.”

“Kelpie doesn’t deserve to be treated like one of us, because she  _ isn’t _ one of us. She was made by Alad fucking V. Do you really think he’s changed?”

“I think he has. He could always change back, mind you, and I still don’t like him, I never did, but he only made Kelpie, he’s not Kelpie.”

“He’s basically her damn parent! He’s influenced her far more than you realize.” 

“Only time will tell with that.” he held up his hand before she could speak. “You know how people feel about you, so you might want to hide your intentions a bit better if you don’t want to get thrown off the relay.”

Saryn glared at him. “What makes you think my intentions are that easy to read?”

“Is it not your intention to ruin her?” Vauban shook his head. “If I can read you this easily, I guarantee that others have seen it, too.”

“Whatever you say. It’s good to be transparent in this, so they know I’m not playing around. She’s a menace, Vauban. You’ll see it my way sooner or later.” 

“We’ll see about that. Don’t get yourself into trouble.” he said. She merely laughed and walked off with that annoying swing in her hips.

Why was he friends with such a piece of work again?


	14. Where the Tubemen Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Threaten Alad once, she'll kill you twice, or try to, at least.

Much to Saryn’s chagrin, Kelpie’s next mission was not a failure. Or the one after that. After her disastrous first outing, things leveled out and she averaged some decent performances to wild successes, and it eased the yucky feeling she got whenever she thought about the sound of the cryopod breaking. 

She mulled over all these things and more as she sat beside one of the various ponds in the relay, admiring the red lotus flowers that bloomed cheerfully in the clear water. She thought about all the new frames she’d met. She’d been so worried, but she already had friends, and for that she was grateful. She was also very aware that not everybody liked her, but she expected it.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and looked up to see Umbra walking up to her. She hadn’t met him yet, not personally. Alad had told her about him, briefly, and Kelpie noticed he seemed to dislike him to an extent, although he didn’t elaborate.

“Hello Kelpie. How are you?” Umbra asked her.

“I, uh...I’m fine? Shouldn’t you be yelling at Excalibur?” she blurted. 

“Excalibur is currently nowhere to be found, and I assume that it’s for that very reason.”

"I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." She said quickly, bowing her head. "It's just...Dad says you yell at him a lot and I kind of...had that picture in my head."

“Well, that’s fair. I _do_ yell at him a lot. How are you enjoying your missions?”

"They're going better than my first one, that's for sure. I still can’t get the broken cryopod out of my head, though. I know it was my fault, and I’m pretty sure the others know it, too. I just feel horrible about it. Dad was trying to cheer me up for days after, and he was so happy when I came back from my second mission and told him it went well.”

Umbra took a seat next to her. “The thing to remember, is that failure is inevitable. It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not. What matters isn’t that you failed, it’s how you respond to, and learn from, that failure.” He took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. “I remember my first big failure. I was supposed to retrieve a high-ranking Corpus official, and bring him back for questioning. I found him, but instead of knocking him out, I lost control and killed him. In doing so, I single-handedly caused the failure of three future missions because of the lack of information. Information that we would have had, if I hadn’t lost my temper.”

Kelpie shuddered. "I hope I never do that. Poor guy."

Umbra shook himself out of his reverie. “Anyways, the moral of the story is to learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others, if possible.”

"I will try, yes. I have a question for you, by the way."

Umbra turned, looking at her. “Okay, what is it?”

"Do you ever have trouble killing certain enemies?"

Umbra took a moment to consider. “Did you have certain ones in mind? Or do you just mean in general?”

"I don't really like killing the flesh-and-blood Corpus. They just...make me think of Dad. Is that weird? I think it's weird."

“I see.” Umbra took a deep breath. “Think of it this way. Would you rather they kill you? Because, given the chance, they will.”

"They'd have to try pretty hard." she said, flexing her webbed fingers.

“They won’t hesitate to try. After all, they don’t care who your father is. Are you willing to give them that chance? Or would you rather not give them the opportunity?”

"I would rather not...I still feel bad though."

“Good. That shows you have empathy. I suppose an honest answer to your question is in order.” Umbra looked at the floor of the relay. “When I first arrived here, as a new Warframe, I was very angry for what had been done to me at the hands of Ballas. I took it out on every enemy I met, every chance I got. I got so good at it, that it became a habit. Killing enemies was my business, and I did it well. I never stopped to consider the fact that they have their own lives, their own friends and families. I only thought about the mission. There was only the mission. But it didn’t help. I was still just as angry, just as deadly, and just as unsatisfied with myself. I couldn’t see a way through this problem. That is, until we discovered Excalibur.”

“...What then? Why was that important?”

“Excalibur needed someone to train him, and I volunteered. I guess it was because I could teach someone everything I wished I knew starting off here, but it turned into more than that. I could help someone to not make the same mistakes that I made, and that was important to me. I can safely say that I wouldn’t have asked Garuda on a date if I hadn’t been working with Excalibur first. It gave me a different sort of confidence in myself.” Umbra looked back over at Kelpie. “I’m sorry, that was more of a story than you bargained for.”

"It's fine, but now I want to know why you're so mean to him. He can rant for hours about you. Why do you act like you hate him?"

Umbra paused, surprised. “I don’t hate him. Why would I?”

"I didn't say you did, just that he says that's how he feels you feel towards him. He feels like you hate him. He says he hates how he can't do anything right in your opinion, and that he has almost no time for his friends, or Wisp, because he's always with you."

“I…” Umbra didn’t know how to respond. _Excalibur thinks I hate him?_ He looked down, lost in thought. “I...I’ll give this some thought.” He stood up, turning to Kelpie. “If you see him, tell him he has the week off. I need time.”

"A-alright. I don't think you're so bad, personally." She pat him on the shoulder. 

Umbra wasn’t sure how to respond. After a pause, he nodded at her, patted her shoulder in return, but something occurred to him before he left.

“Hey, Kelpie?” Umbra turned back to her. 

“Yeah?” 

“Oberon and I have been planning a sabotage mission on Uranus, in Tyl Regor’s territory. It’s early days yet, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with us when it’s time to move?”

“Seriously? You want _me_ to come? It’s a bit more difficult, isn’t it? Uranus is crawling with his Manics. I hear others ranting about how much of a pain they are to dispatch all the time.”

“That’s correct, but you won’t be alone. Just think it over, and let Oberon or myself know if you want to come. Alright?”

“I’m honored you’d even consider me.” she jumped up and hugged him. “Thank you for having faith in me!”

Umbra laughed awkwardly. “You’re welcome. And, by the way, I think you’re better at this than you believe. You just need time.”

“E-eh, you do? I will keep trying to get better, then. I don’t want to let anyone down…”

“Don’t worry about letting others down, or you’ll never do anything. Just focus on improving yourself, and you’ll be fine.” Umbra turned to leave. “I’ll see you later, yes?”

“Yeah, sure! I like your scarf, by the way.” She added brightly. 

“Shoulder cape,” Umbra said quietly. Then he stopped, unsure of what he had heard.

“...What?”

Umbra finally processed what Kelpie said, and was halfway lost for words. 

“Sorry, force of habit. Thank you.”

“It’s like how Dad will look for something when he’s been holding it the whole time.” she giggled. “I guess even we can do that too.” 

Umbra gave her a strange glance as he left. “Until next time, Kelpie.”

“Bye Umbra!” Kelpie was floored that Umbra and Oberon would consider a beginner for this high-level mission. She decided to bring it up to Alad, and see what he thought.

“Gala, no!” Alad said, grabbing her and placing her on the floor again. The cinnamon colored kitten mewed haughtily, swished her tails and leapt back up. Alad sighed, and Kelpie laughed so hard she nearly choked.

“She’s not being a very good kitty, is she?” she asked when she had calmed down. 

“She is not. She’s a pain in the ass and proud of it, aren’t you?” he asked Galatea. She purred and nuzzled his chest. “Yes, you are. Anyway, how are you?”

“Umbra invited me on a high level mission!” She said excitedly, almost prancing in place. 

Alad stopped what he was doing, saying, “He what?”

“He invited me to come along on a high level mission with him and Oberon in a few days.”

Alad walked slowly over to her. “So, what do you think, then?”

“I’m really, really flattered they’d even consider me. I’m going!” 

“Are you sure you can handle it? Not only does Uranus have much stronger soldiers, it also has Tyl Regor. I don’t want to think what would happen if he got his hands on you, the big blue bastard.” Alad said sourly. 

“You seem to have a massive bone to pick with him.” 

“I do. He threatened you when you were just a baby, and I will not take that from a blighty potato like him!” he said, banging his fist on the table. 

“Threatened me?”  
  
“Well...kind of. He threatened vengeance for his precious tube, which would have meant you potentially being hurt in the process. And that was, and is, out of the question.”

“Well...when are we going to give him his tube back, then?” Kelpie looked curiously at Alad.

“Never!” he said, clapping his hands. “We stole it fair and square, I’m not giving it back to that peg-legged fool. Maybe if he hadn’t threatened you I’d give it back, but now he’s made me angry, so he can rot.”

“Um, okay then.” Kelpie decided to stop before she accidentally sent Alad on a rant about the Grineer scientist. She worried that she was already too late.

“So, about this mission...you absolutely sure you can take it? The chances of you running into him are 50/50, but still, I’d rather you two never meet, because if he ever caught you, he’d do what I did to Valkyr, but probably worse. You are the most valuable thing in my life, and if I ever lost you…” he trailed off. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll be fine. Umbra and Oberon will be there too, remember?” Kelpie breathed a sigh of relief that Alad hadn’t started ranting about Tyl.

“Yes, I trust Oberon to be there for you, and I trust Umbra to be a massive pain in the ass, but at least make sure you don’t die.”

A thought occurred to Kelpie. “Can I ask you a question, Dad?”

“Sure.” 

“Um...is there anyone you would trust to keep me alive more than those two?”

“Odd question. Can I ask why?”

Kelpie shuffled her feet. “Well...you said they would make sure that I don’t die. I...I just don’t want you to be wondering if I’ll make it back.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, but...I can’t help but worry after that. I’m fully aware that you’re quite a bit stronger than most of the things you’ve gone up against, but I can’t get rid of the little nagging voice in the back of my head that starts imagining everything that could go wrong as soon as you leave.”

Kelpie looked up at him. “I know you care about me, Dad, but this is a big chance to really prove what I can do! I’m sure the others will be watching out for me.”

Alad took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if I come off as overbearing, I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Just be careful, for my sake, at least.” 

She hugged Alad around his neck. “I’ll be careful, Dad. Thank you.”

He hugged her back, tightly, and she was surprised by how strong he actually felt. 

“I love you Kelpie, never forget that. You're the first thing I ever truly loved, and you’re the best thing I ever made.”

Kelpie started to tear up. “I’ll remember, Dad, I promise.” 

“And don’t do anything stupid, you hear?” he said, untangling an arm and shaking a finger at her.

“I promise, Dad.”

Alad released her. “That’s my girl.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their mission was going well so far. It turned out to be a combination of spy and sabotage, which while making things interesting, didn’t lend itself to being all that difficult. Oberon, Umbra, and Kelpie had little trouble dispatching the Drekar and the few Manic they encountered, Ivara pulled off her hacks flawlessly, and there was no sign of Tyl Regor. Everything was going very well.

Or it would be if she wasn’t feeling so starved. 

Kelpie still hadn’t told Alad about her little problem yet. Stupid, she knew, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it, to worry her father with still another problem. She didn’t like worrying him, and she didn’t want him feeling like he’d given her a weakness. It wasn’t so bad, really. She usually just ran off on her own for a bit to kill and eat something (although never flesh-and-blood Corpus), and she was fine. The problem came when she didn’t take care of it for longer than three days. That’s when the cravings came. The sharp desire to rip into something fleshy and watch it twitch and bleed while she crushed it’s still beating heart, to feel gore and flesh ooze between her teeth, and to shred and tear innards. What the kelpie in her made her lust after.

That’s what she wanted. The hunger clawed at her insides, whispering to her to go mad and tear something limb from limb, and if she didn’t take care of it soon...she didn’t want to think what would happen if she attacked one of her teammates. 

“Hey, guys, I’m going to be awhile with this vault.” Ivara’s voice shook Kelpie from her thoughts. 

“That’s okay, we have time,” said Oberon, sitting with his back to a wall. “I’m surprised they even put a vault on the top floor to begin with."

“Well, is there anything I can do?” Kelpie spoke up, hoping to have an excuse to get away.

“There was that room on the way here, right Umbra?” Ivara spoke up.

“Right, there was. Kelpie, go back and see what you can find,” Umbra told her. “And let us know if you run into trouble, we’ll be right there.” 

“Okay!” Kelpie practically ran down the hallway, eager to sate her hunger.

She poked around for a bit, trying to get as much distance between her and them as possible before finding a body to rip into. They didn’t need to overhear it. She crept further through the maze of corridors, coming to an odd room full of cloning tubes, and a Manic guarding them. A Manic...living, fresh that she could kill herself, which was her prefered feeding method. Her stomach clenched with hunger again, stronger. 

The Manic hadn’t noticed her watching him, being engrossed by the surrounding tubes, and what they contained. Such easy prey. Slowly, she crept up, breathing and stepping silently. When she was close enough to hear him breathing, she stood up, and kicked his legs out. Sprawled out on the floor, the last thing that the Manic saw and felt, was the choking after Kelpie opened her maw, revealing a too-long mouth ringed with long, sharp teeth and ugly, pale skin stretched at the corners, like a snake’s, bit down on his neck, crunching through the armor, and ripping out his throat. 

She tore open the rest of his armor and began the process of slowly dismantling this once living thing. She bit down into his chest, rapidly devouring the flesh and breaking open his ribs to get at the lungs but discarding the heart. Helmet and skull were cracked open, arms and legs were stripped down to bone, even the cartilage connecting them eaten, the torso cleaved open, intestines pulled violently out and sucked down, liver discarded, splattering the walls, floor, and tubing with blood. Blood ran from her open jaws, staining her neck and chest as she joyfully slashed open more of the Manic to get every scrap.. 

Under her helmet, Kelpie's eyes rolled back in pleasure as she ravenously dismembered the Grineer, which might have just been the best thing she'd eaten in her short life. He had more meat on him than she expected, far more muscle as well. Most of the Grineer had thin, shoddy bodies that sated but never completely satisfied in one meal, but this...this was so much better. The flesh was firmer, didn't fall apart in her mouth, it was something she could really sink her teeth into and _tear._ It, and the blood it was soaked in even tasted better than the regular lancers or marines. Soon nothing was left but a pile of crushed armor, bones split and emptied of their marrow, and the heart and liver which she never liked.

After Kelpie was done, she realized that she had better find the room that her companions had talked about, or they might get suspicious. Before she left, though, she hid the pile of discarded bones in an empty tube. Making sure that no one was around, she left, and quickly managed to get lost. She was a lost Warframe covered in blood wandering around one of Tyl Regor's labs. This could not get any worse.

On the other hand, things could not be better for Tyl Regor. Looking around his labs, gazing at all the tubes, he felt a stab of pride in his chest. He had managed to do what the Queens had told him was impossible: to have bioengineered the Grineer genome to decrease, and basically stop altogether, the degeneration of cloned Grineer bodies. He was on top of the world, the best of the best. 

And, he had no one to share his accomplishment with. Although he was surrounded by his army, he had no partner. This did taint the feeling of satisfaction, just a bit, because while he was usually just fine with being solo...sometimes the isolation crept up. He decided to take a walk around his base, to clear his head. 

As he was walking along, he started to notice blood on the floor, in an unfamiliar footprint. Bloody hoofprints...the only one of those damn lizards that had hooves was the one with the staff, Oberon, and these were singular, not split. A new one then, and it looked like they were alone. An easy target, if he could catch them by surprise. He begane following them, cold, steel hands clenched in barely repressed anger.

The sound of rushing water greeted him as he followed the hoofprints into a partially flooded room. The wall had been broken open exposing it to the wild seas outside, and it hadn’t gotten around to being repaired yet. At the edge of a sheet of metal flooring that hung over the water, was a Warframe he’d never seen before, splashing herself. Strange, while most Warframes hated the water, this one looked like she was made for it.

“Most Warframes try to avoid water, you know.” Tyl walked into the room. “Not sure if you picked up on that yet.”

The frame shouted and fell backwards. Scrambling to get her feet under her, Kelpie stood up too fast, falling into the water. Standing back up, she got out of the water, to see Tyl Regor standing in the doorway, laughing.

“A...are you Tyl Regor?” she said, finally, looking up at him. 

“I haven’t laughed so hard in ages,” Tyl said. “Yes, I am he. And you are?” He asked, waiting expectantly.

“K-kelpie.” 

“Kelpie. Has a nice ring to it. May I ask why you’re named that?”

“T-that’s just what D-dad called me. I n-never asked him why.”

“Your father, hm? I wasn’t aware that Warframes have parents.”

“W-well, I do. I think t-that I’m the only one, so far.” 

“Who is your father?”

Kelpie remained silent, unsure of how to answer. If there’s one thing she was sure telling Regor would do, it was put Alad in danger, and that’s the last thing she wanted. She wiped some excess blood from the corner of her tightly shut and hidden maw, and said nothing.

“Silent treatment, eh? Not a very nice way to treat someone who you’ve just met, now is it?”

Kelpie gave a small squeak and stared at the floor. “I can’t tell you that.” 

Tyl cocked his head to one side. “Oh, really? Now why is that?”

“I can’t tell you that either, it’ll give too much away.”

“Okay, fair enough. Going off of what you’ve told me, including what you _haven’t_ , it’s safe to assume that your father is fairly high-profile. I did get one of my cloning tubes stolen by Alad, who also did happen to rebuild one of your frames. Being I know that he still has that tube, it’s possible that he could have used it. And if he used it, someone had to come out of it.” Tyl stopped to consider. “The damn jellyfish.”

“He’s not a jellyfish! He’s smart and kind and he loves me, and he’s a better person than you could ever wish to be!” Kelpie protested, before stopping suddenly, realizing what she had said.

Tyl turned to Kelpie, his gaze piercing hers. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

She clammed up again, staring a hole into the floor.

Tyl walked up to her, lifting her chin with a finger. “It’s polite to look at someone when they’re talking to you.”

“I-I don’t know who you’re talking about.” she said quietly.

“Denial, is it? Or lying? Be careful of which side of that line you tread,” Tyl told her, moving his face closer to hers.

“Y-you don’t need to know any of it!” she protested, trying to pull herself away, but his grip was too strong.

“I rather think that I do need to know, seeing as how it was _my_ tube that was stolen. If I wasn’t so generous, I would claim you as _my_ property, seeing as how you were made in _my_ tube.” Tyl’s head was now mere inches from Kelpie’s.

“I’m not yours, I’ll never be yours, you tube-loving dobber!”

“And what makes you think that I couldn’t just take you now and find a way to put you under my command? Vor nearly did it with one of your friends, and it would have worked if he hadn’t been such a cocky fool.”

“Excalibur…” she said, remembering the story he’d told her of his dealings with Captain Vor and the Ascaris device.

“What’s more, I could simply take you with me right now, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me.” he said, running his thumb over her short muzzle. 

“I-if you even think about doing something so vile, Dad’ll have every Warframe in the system on your ass. Or at the very least, Umbra. But I know Umbra could kill you all by himself.” 

“Don’t go overestimating the abilities of others, it only makes you look a fool when you turn out to be wrong. Besides, you seem to be alone here. I could have you strapped down to a table long before anyone got here.”

Kelpie stared into his eyes, frozen. 

“I haven’t yet had the opportunity to tear into a living frame yet, but I think you’ll be a fine specimen.” Tyl turned, trying to lead her out of the room. “Then we’ll see how much _Alad_ really loves you.”

“H-how did you-”  
  
“I heard you give yourself away, lizard. Your father has been a constant pain ever since he had the Tenno raid my labs to cure him of his Infestation, and now I just can’t get rid of him. I thought he’d at least have some gratitude since it was my work that cured him, but no, instead, what does he do? He goes and builds a Warframe! It’s about time I got back at him.”

“If you lay a finger on him, I’ll gut you and eat your insides!” she said coldly, rage overcoming her fear. 

“I’d like to see you try. You know what, maybe after I’m done with you, I’ll have my tubemen bring Alad in, too, so I can have a matching set.”

“ _Never!_ ” Kelpie shrieked, her voice echoing through the metal sanctuary. She wrenched her head out of Tyl Regor’s grip, baring her too-long, gaping maw, still stained with the blood of the Manic and biting down on his hand, pulverizing the metal fingers.


	15. Ebb and Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyl Regor gets physically smacked, Kelpie gets verbally smacked, Umbra doesn't know how to keep his voice down or be nice sometimes.

“Umbra…” Oberon started, hearing the echoing yowl of their teammate. 

“I heard.” he rasped, gripping the hilt of his Skiajati. “Damn it Kelpie! She probably ran into Regor.”

“Let’s not assume the worst _just_ yet.” Oberon said, trying to placate him. 

“Well what else is here, huh?”

“...Manics?”

“Well yes, but it’s not like she’s built to take them down! I’ll go look for her, you and Ivara catch up.” he bolted down the hall in the direction of Kelpie’s scream.

Looking around frantically as he ran, he came to a jammed door with the sounds of violent metallic combat echoing from within. Seeing no other way to pry it open, he backed up a ways and charged down the door. It buckled and fell through the frame. Inside, he saw Kelpie running desperately from Tyl, who’s left hand was a ruin, and wielding his axe where his right one was. Kelpie deflected another blow from it with her Galatine, but only just. 

“Regor.” Umbra growled, low and angry. 

“Oh?” Tyl turned towards the sound. “We have a visitor! You didn’t tell me you had company, Kelpie.”

“Umbra! Oh thank the Lotus!” Kelpie said.

“Are you okay, Kelpie?”

“Hanging in there. I’m alright.” she kicked one of Tyl’s skinny legs out from under him, sending him tumbling.

“I’ve had just about enough of you thrice cursed lizards!” He was back on his feeting shockingly quickly, lunging at her and putting her into a vice with the two fingers he had still intact on his left hand before she could get out of the way, and launched her into the deep end of the flooded room, where the metal had been torn away to reveal the rushing sea. She landed with a loud splash, sending up a huge plume of water.

Umbra yelled, running towards the water, but Tyl swept his good hand out and caught him. 

“Where do you think you’re going? She’s gone, accept it.” Tyl started to drag Umbra towards the door, only to see Oberon and Ivara enter. “Oho, you brought a whole squad, didn’t you? Shame. It still won’t be enough to get your Kelpie back. I don’t think your Lotus is going to be very pleased. Or the jellyfish, for that matter.”

“You’re worried about the wrong jellyfish, asshole!” Ivara yelled, drawing her Artemis bow. 

Just as they were about to come to blows, Kelpie surfaced, flailing and trying to orient herself, but very much alive. The strange toes next to her hooves had opened, exposing the webbing between them, spraying up water whenever she kicked at the surface. 

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Tyl screamed, looking from Kelpie to the other frames, who looked just as confused.

“I’m gonna-” Kelpie slipped under again, clearly still getting used to the water. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!” 

“Kelpie, how are you still alive? Get over here!” Umbra yelled at her.   
  
She dove, invisible in the dark water, then suddenly catapulted out, grabbing Tyl by the metal pieces on the sides of his neck and dragged him down into the water with her.

“NO!” Umbra yelled after them, too late. Kelpie began pummeling him underwater, occasionally pulling him up and screaming at him. 

“You bastard! Don’t you ever even think about hurting Dad, or I’ll tear you limb from fake fucking limb!”

“Your father is a worthless, second rate hack! I’d be doing the system a favor by removing him from his head!” Tyl said, gasping for breath. Kelpie dragged him back underwater, but he’d gotten his bearings by now, and was starting to fight back.

Back in the room, the others were waiting anxiously for them to resurface. Being that water disagreed with almost all warframes, they couldn’t go into the ocean and retrieve her. They were left pining time above the water, waiting for either her or Tyl to come back. They both broke above the water, wrestling with each other, while spouting insults. 

“Go drown you inbred, deteriorating potato!”

“Die, lizard! Leech! Bloody worm! Would you look at you? Worthless, ugly freaks, crawling around my labs and ruining my work! ” 

“Go screw your queens, you doaty walloper!” 

Tyl finally managed to sweep Kelpie aside long enough for him to push himself out of the water, her on his metaphorical heels.

“Where are you going?! You call my dad the jellyfish, but it looks like you’re the one with no spine!” 

“Watch your words, little filly!” he roared, grabbing her slippery body with his right hand, this time slamming her against the hard metal wall with a sickening _crack._

“ _KELPIE!_ ” Umbra yelled, running for her. Tyl left her moaning on the floor, and turned to leave. 

“You’re not leaving this place, Regor.” Oberon said threateningly, brandishing his Bo prime.

“Imagine what they’ll say when you get killed by a jellyfish!” Ivara added, Artemis bow drawn, standing at her rightful place by Oberon’s side. 

“You won’t be so confident when you look down the hallway, lizards. You’ll be the ones who aren’t leaving.” Tyl brushed past them, despite their threats, and stalked away. Oberon peeked down the hallway after him, and his stomach dropped.

Tubemen.

“Umbra, get ready to bloody your sword! This is going to get messy.”

Umbra looked up from Kelpie’s limp form. “Why, what’s going on?”

“His little science projects are wandering the halls. A lot of them.”

Umbra sighed heavily, shaking his head. After a moment, he said, “Alright, I’ll carry Kelpie out, you two take point, and take out anyone between us and extraction.”

“Aye aye, Umbra.” Oberon said, giving a mock salute and firing off a smite into the horde of Manics. 

“And none of your lip, or I’ll make you carry her.”

They both nodded and dashed into the fray.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they finally got back to the relay, covered in blood and exhausted, Kelpie still hadn’t woken up, and Umbra carried her directly back to Alad, dreading the verbal smacking he was going to get.

Standing at the door, Umbra paused, unsure of what to say. While he was considering his options, the door slid open.

“You’re finally back! You’ve been gone for hours-” Alad stopped when he saw Kelpie in his arms. “What in the name of your Lotus happened?!”

“Tyl Regor happened.” 

“I _knew_ she shouldn’t have gone with you!” Alad beckoned Umbra inside, having him lay out Kelpie on a table.

“Listen, Alad, there was-”  
  


“No, you listen! Why did you ask her to come, huh? What made you ask her?!” Alad was pacing furiously around the room. 

“Because I didn’t know she’d try and fight him, now did I?”

“She _what?_ ” 

“I know how it sounds, but yes, she did try to fight him. She made a pretty good showing, too. But it obviously wasn’t enough.”

“Oh Kelpie, you beautiful, stupid girl. Why, _why_ would she do that? What was she even doing with him?” 

“We don’t know. We just heard her screaming, showed up, and she was fighting him. Apparently she’s a very good swimmer, too.”

“Ah...swimmer, eh?” he smiled at her, stroking her muzzle. “Oh, Kelpie, what am I going to do with you?” 

“For what it’s worth, Alad...I apologize.” Umbra looked Alad in the eyes. “I should have known she wasn’t ready.”

“Don’t say that just yet...I’d like to know what led to her coming across him first...maybe it wasn’t her fault. If you’d like to stick around until she wakes up, you can.” 

“I would, but duty calls. Call me back and tell me whatever she tells you.” 

“Alright. Do me a favor, and tell the Lotus about this? I...need her advice, but I want to stay with Kelpie.”

Umbra nodded. “Will do. Anything else?”

“Thank you for helping her.” 

“You’re welcome. She would have done the same for me, at any rate.” Umbra turned to leave, then stopped. “Hey, Alad?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for understanding.”

He nodded to the Warframe. “Of course, Umbra.” 

Umbra nodded back in gratitude, then left. 

Alad didn’t have to wait long for Kelpie to wake up. Two hours later she was sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

“You promised that you wouldn’t do anything stupid, Kelpie.” he chastized. 

“I know, Dad, I’m sorry. I didn’t think that Tyl Regor would actually show up.” Kelpie hung her head. “Trying to fight him was stupid, yes?”

“It was quite possibly the dumbest option you could have gone with. Why, _why_ did you do it?”

“I…I wasn’t trying to run into him, I promise! ”

“Well, you didn’t have to try, apparently. Umbra told me everything.”

“E-everything? He caught me eating?!” she cried. “How?!” 

Alad was taken aback. “Eating? What do you mean by _that?_ ”

It was Kelpie’s turn to stop in surprise. “W-what? So...he _didn’t_ catch me eating? Oh, thank the Lotus, I wasn't busted!”

“Whoah, hold on, back it up. What do you mean by eating? Warframes don’t eat. Are you saying...even after the Helminth you still want food? What are you even eating in the first place?”

“Um...Grineer, mostly. Sometimes fish, if I can get it. I don’t know why...but I just crave flesh. It’s not so bad at first, but after a couple days I go crazy and I have to eat something before my own hunger makes me attack someone I really shouldn’t. It’s...very hard to control. That’s what happened on the mission...Umbra sent me off to go look into a supply cache, I snuck off, found a Manic and ate him.”

“You...you _ate_ a Manic.” Alad couldn’t believe what he had heard.

“Yes...he also tasted quite good.”

“Wait, hold on.” Alad sat down on a chair, breathing heavily. “So, you still get the urge to eat meat. You find it hard to control, and you need to eat to get a handle on it again. It happened on the mission, so you just went off and ate a _Manic_.”

“He was the first thing I found!” she protested.

“But...a _Manic._ ”

“What’s the big deal?”

“It’s just...they’re blasted hard to kill.”

“I snuck up on him and knocked his legs out, then tore out his throat.” she explained, opening her maw a little so he could see.

“Okay, but how does eating the Manic lead to you getting caught by Tyl?”

“I was just washing the blood off in this one room, because there was a lot of it, and I was tracking it all over. Now that I think about it, he must have followed the stains.”

“I guess I forgot to teach you not to play with your food.” he joked. 

“So...you aren’t mad at me?” Kelpie looked up at him.

“Not for that. I can’t be angry at you for needing to follow a biological function. I _am_ mad at you, however, for, one, not telling me about it, and two, _fighting Tyl Regor all on your own._ ”

“He threatened you! He was insulting you and being awful, I couldn’t let that slide!”

“Listen, Kelpie, it doesn’t matter what someone says about me, okay? Especially not someone like Tyl. He was trying to get you riled up, so you’d attack him. And, it sounds like you played right into that trap.”

“Oh...I’m such an idiot!” Kelpie wailed, head in her hands.

“It’s alright, Kelpie.” Alad put his arm around her shoulders. “Now you know for next time.” 

She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling relaxed and safe for the first time that day. 

After Alad had checked that Kelpie was well, she decided to take a walk around the relay. She had just left the lab, when she spotted Excalibur, and ran over to him.

“Hey, Excalibur! How are you today?”

“Hey Kelpie! I’m good, just looking for Kallic, who decided he’d run off as soon as we got here. I cannot deal with this small Void child much longer, but Lotus says I can’t get rid of him, for some reason.”

“Well, I hope you find him. Have you seen Oberon or Umbra anywhere?”

“I saw them talking with Garuda and Ivara by Simaris’s. He did not look pleased.”

“Oh, um...maybe I should talk to him later, then.” Kelpie started to walk away, only to hear Umbra call her name.

“Kelpie? Could I talk to you for a minute, please?” he called, with the air of an angry parent. Kelpie shuffled over quietly. 

“Y-yeah?” 

“First of all, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, yeah. I don’t know how I lived through that, I thought I was done for.”

“We did too. Attacking Tyl Regor was a stupid, stupid thing to do.”

“I know. Dad said as much, too. I wasn’t looking for it, honest, but I didn’t see any other way out.” 

“Kelpie, there’s _always_ another way out. It’s just the option most people don’t want to take. And besides, why were you in that room? It wasn’t the room we pointed out to you.”

"I…" she froze, not wanting to expose her little issue like this. 

“Umbra, we’ll worry about that later. There are other issues to address,” Oberon said, looking sideways at Kelpie. She stared at the floor.

“So tell me. Why, why, _why_ did you think fighting him, and fighting him _solo,_ was a good idea? What mental gymnastics did you do to come to the conclusion that it was a good idea? You know you're still weak, you know you're not ready, and yet you did it anyway. What made you believe that it was a good idea?!”

"I-it's like I told you before, there was no way out. He was going to dissect me! I wasn't trying to have a full-scale fight with him, I just wanted to get out!" 

"Then you should have called for help, you idiot! And there was a way out, in the form of a _massive fucking hole in the wall that led to open ocean!"_ he scolded, his voice raising.

"I didn't know I could swim!"

"Your hands and feet are fucking webbed, why else would they be? You are literally named after a damn water monster, how do you not know you can swim? How do you figure that out? ' _Oh, all these traits point to me being able to tolerate water, guess that means I can't swim.'_ What kind of leap in logic is that?”

“Just...just shut up, Umbra! You weren’t there when it happened, or maybe you were, and didn’t do anything! _I_ didn’t see you come fight Tyl after we started fighting! You just stood there! What kind of example is _that_?!”

"We were trying to complete our damn mission! You know, the whole reason we came to Uranus in the first place? Remember that? Or did being in the big leagues get to your tiny head? Inviting you was the _worst_ idea I think I've ever had. I thought you were ready, that you were responsible and knew how to handle yourself, but oh, by the Lotus, I was wrong! You can't even take a straight line to check out a possible loot room, instead you go fucking miles away and end up meeting the very Grineer we were all hoping you would avoid. _And then it somehow occurs to you that you can take him._ That, that right there, is what I understand the least. How, how, _how_ did you think you would take him down? Regor is a monster, Kelpie. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Do you have any idea what he could have done to you? He could have made you his mindless slave, he could have _killed you._ Do you understand the fact that he could have ended your life? Your stupidity is unfathomable!" he bellowed, the skin showing through the jagged hole in his helmet red with fury.

Kelpie couldn't respond, couldn't make herself talk. She looked at Ivara and Oberon. The former was as furious as Umbra, while the latter unreadable. 

"You're not fit to go to any planet outside of Mars, heck, you're not fit to do missions anywhere other than Earth, thanks to this stunt. You think you're so strong now, but you're barely fit to fight _Clem._ All the progress you think you've made? It's barely beginning to scratch the surface of what you need to be, and if you keep doing things like this, you'll never get there, and you'll never prove yourself to everyone who thinks you were a bad idea."

“Kelpie, many here think that you were a mistake. Your actions today may prove them right, and if you continue this way, you would be better off elsewhere.” Ivara said, her voice low and cold. "Don't forget that. You shame Alad by acting this foolishly."

That's what hit her the hardest. She never even considered what they would think of her dad. How could she have been so blind? She made not only Alad look bad, but the Lotus as well, for giving her a chance. The Lotus, who treated Kelpie like a daughter despite being so different from her other children, Warframe and Operator alike. What had she done?

Oberon finally stepped in. “Kelpie, we just care about you, is all. We want to see you do well, and improve. Why don’t you head back to the lab for now?”

Kelpie nodded, staring at the floor, not trusting herself to speak. She simply turned and walked away, never raising her head trying to ignore everyone staring at her. 

“That was too far, Umbra.” Oberon said, calm seething on the inside.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry! I just...I’m sorry.” he said, deflating. Oberon put a hand on his shoulder.

When she made it back to the lab, she went straight into a corner, and started sobbing. Concerned, Alad sat beside her, arm around her shoulders. After some time, when Kelpie had calmed down, Alad finally asked the question.

“What did Umbra tell you?”

“H-how did you know it was Umbra?”

“I heard him shouting, at least some of it.” 

“I’m a failure and an idiot!” 

“No, you aren’t.”

“That’s what Umbra said, and he’s right, isn’t he? I could have died, and I made you look like a fool, you and Lotus.” 

_“And why would that be?”_ she spoke up suddenly, making Kelpie jump.

“Oh, Lotus!” Kelpie recovered fairly quickly. “You took a chance on me and look what I did! How monumentally I screwed up.”

“ _Why don’t you tell me what happened, before I pass judgement on that,_ ” the Lotus suggested. Kelpie nodded and parroted back what Umbra had told her.

The Lotus shook her head. _“Oh, Umbra...don’t pay it too much mind. He was angry, and he tends to lose that logic and reasoning he holds in such high regard when he’s angry. He’s right, in the fact that what you did was quite foolish, but then, every Warframe has done something of equal or greater stupidity at some point. What matters now is that you know what you did was wrong, and you won't do it again._ ”

“I’m sorry, Lotus, but I don't see it. This was way more stupid than what anyone else has done.” Kelpie looked at the floor. 

She gave a wry smile. _“You sure about that? I could tell you some...interesting stories that might change your view.”_

“I’m not so sure…” Kelpie disagreed.

_“Well let’s see...Oberon tried to fight the Grustag 3, all three of them, on his own. Valkyr tried to go after your father at one point, again, alone-”_

“Wait, what? She did? When was this?” he asked.

_“A long time ago, when she was a bit...angrier. Oberon talked her out of it, and be grateful she did, by the way. She would have killed you.”_

“Like mangling my torso was any better.” he muttered.

“ _There was one time that Nezha spent hours riding a K-Drive through Orb Vallis, doing nothing to contribute to the mission, or Loki sitting out of a Uranus mission because of his fear of water. Vauban tried to fight the Exploiter orb solo with only his Aklex, because he lost a bet, and yes, he nearly got turned into a red smear on the snow.”_

Kelpie was laughing at this point. “Did Umbra do anything like that?”

Lotus laughed. “ _Well, yes. He tried to convince Kela De Thayme to join us._ ”

At this, Alad burst into laughter. “Umbra, the paragon of the Tenno, tried that? Really?” 

“ _Yes, he did. He would have been successful, too, if Kela hadn’t had so much to drink._ ”

“What was he thinking?” Alad couldn’t help but mock the idea.

“ _I imagine that he was thinking about how much it would boost morale, to have her on our side. I don’t think that he thought about much else. My point is, every frame has something dumb under their belt, and this just happens to be yours, and I was told you gave him a good knock about. You’ll be able to take him, one day._ ”

Kelpie finally looked up at the Lotus, hopeful. “I...I will?”

_“Yes, don’t despair. I’m going to have a little talk with Umbra about this.”_

“Better you than me.” Alad said, grinding his teeth. “I think it’s about time I got a gun. A big gun.”

_“Don’t go doing anything stupid with it.”_ the Lotus wanted before cutting out.

“Well, Kelpie, how about that? The Lotus is rooting for you!” Alad gave her a hug.

Kelpie was completely lost for words. The Lotus on _her_ side? Was that really possible? That Lotus would take the time to notice her among all her other children...she shook her head, wondering why.

“Lotus is a mystery to everyone, and the fact that she is the daughter of Hunhow doesn’t help matters, or the fact that a long-armed, blue-skinned Orokin thinks she’s his dead girlfriend who he sentenced to death.”

“What?”

“Long story. Despite her...unusualness, she still finds a way to mother 44 other Warframes. Even Saryn.”

Kelpie nodded, grateful that the Lotus would consider her to be a child of hers. “I’m honored she regards me so highly.” 

“Well she did order me to make you, so she’d better lump you in with the rest of them.” he said, reaching up and petting her between the ears. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much about this. You’ll have plenty of chances to show them what you can really do.” he assured her.

“I hope you’re right, Dad.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The Kelpie_

_A shape shifting water demon of ancient human folklore. Most often takes the form of a beautiful white horse to lure it’s prey onto its back. It then would dive into the waters of it’s home river or loch, drown them, and eat their flesh, leaving only the heart and the liver to wash up on the shore the next day. This story was most likely made up to keep human children from wandering too close to deep bodies of water, lest they fall in and drown._

_It’s true form is never adequately described, but most depictions show it as a half rotten, ugly black horse, with water plants tangled in its mane, a fish-like tail, and jagged teeth. Some accounts also have the Kelpie being able to turn into a beautiful young human to lure prey, but always identifiable thanks to a strand of seaweed woven into their hair. Aside from it’s shapeshifting, it has some magic that allows it to mess with the mind, lulling it’s prey into a sense of security, and making sure they don’t question a strange horse in the middle of a swamp. Some accounts have it even having the ability to warp reality, making a foreboding dark bayou look beautiful. Anything to sate their lust for human flesh._

Tyl Regor scanned the short article on the screen again, feeling a slow creeping sense of something he couldn’t quite identify. Why had Alad chosen _that_ to name his little demon after? He glanced over at the pile of broken bones and discarded organs in the box beside him. She couldn’t have done that, could she? Swimming was one thing, but needing to consume? That, _that_ he was sure Warframes didn’t do. 

But then how else could he explain the box of Manic bones? 

Other things bothered him about her as well. _Messing with the mind..._ so that explained the odd calmness he’d felt when he interacted with her, like she was no threat, no threat at all. That is, right until she opened her maw and crushed three of his fingers-she’d missed the other two by sheer luck. He flexed the repaired left hand, an odd coil of dread settling in the pit of his heart. Not only was Alad V on the side of the Tenno, not only was he making Warframes, he was making scarily effective ones. And Kelpie…

Aside from being suspicions of her having eaten one of his Tubemen, he wasn’t particularly fearful of her. More...curious. She was an odd little thing, even minus the mouth. The Orokin were long dead, so how did Alad even make her? She thought of him as a father...could he be her biological parent, or just had made such a mark on her? So many questions, and no answers. He almost hoped he’d meet her again, not to harm her, but just to _ask._

He shook his head. A foolish thought, and an unlikely scenario. Still, even he could dream.


	16. Eating Hemlock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALL HAIL THE BITCH QUEEN HERSELF

Much to Kelpie’s shame, almost everyone in the relay had overheard Umbra’s yelling. She couldn’t walk out of the lab without getting looks, seeing frames whisper to each other, and generally attracting attention like a magnet. So, she went straight back to Alad and didn’t leave until the relay was mostly empty. 

It was rather pathetic, honestly, Saryn thought, as she watched Kelpie take a lap around the relay. She did something stupid, she got a verbal smacking, yet here she was moping about it. It’s not like it was unearned. Who tries to fight Tyl Regor solo? Weak and stupid, just like she always said. They really needed to get rid of her before she dragged them down any further. 

“You ever wonder what made Lotus think that she was a good idea?” Banshee asked, shaking her bat-like head in disbelief.

“Only ever since I met her. She’s a bigger mess of a Warframe than Revenant, and at least he has an excuse. I know the Lotus wants to bolster our ranks, but Sol and Mani were perfectly good. We didn’t need this freaky fish frame. Or demon water horse. Whatever.”

“I still don't get what makes you think she’s  _ that _ egregious.” Trinity jumped in. “I’m not hugely on board with this whole ‘Alad making Warframes’ thing itself, but she can’t be so bad, can she?” 

“Let’s have a look at that, shall we?” Saryn told her companions. “Hey, Kelpie!” 

Kelpie looked, and saw Saryn waving her over. Walking up, she asked, “H-hello. You’re Saryn, right? And Trinity and Banshee? Sorry, I haven’t had as much time to meet you yet.”

“Oh, it’s okay. We were just wondering about something,” Saryn responded.

“W-what would that be?” Kelpie wondered, nervous.

“It’s just that we’ve heard rumors about a mission on Neptune you went on, and we wanted to know the truth of what happened.” Saryn smirked internally.

“I...uh...I guess?” Kelpie looked down at her hooves. “W-what did you hear?”

Saryn made a flippant gesture. “Oh, just that something went horribly wrong, but nobody seems to agree on what, specifically. Could you clear that up for us?”

“Did you actually try and fight Tyl Regor?” Banshee cut in. Kelpie slowly nodded.   
  
“Holy shit, that was idiotic of you!”

“Now, now, Banshee, give her some credit. She put up a decent fight, didn’t you Kelpie?” Saryn asked 

“I...I tried. But he got the better of me towards the end.” Kelpie couldn’t look up from her hooves. “If I could have just kept hold of him a bit longer, I probably could have drowned him...then I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Drowned him?” Trinity asked. “Uh...how...exactly were you doing that?”

“Um...apparently...I can swim, so I thought I might as well use it.”

“Freaky.” she said, shivering.

“I-is it? Do the rest of you really not like water that much?” 

“We can tolerate it, but nobody...enjoys it. Or, almost nobody. Ivara and Hydroid can swim as well. Don’t take it too harshly. Swimming is the least strange thing about you.” Saryn said, tapping her on the muzzle.

“I-is it really that bad?” Kelpie shuffled her feet, still not looking up.

“A little bit. There are strange Warframes, and then there’s you. I can see why you’d want to fight Regor, really, I can sympathize. I mean, look at you. A complete pipe dream of a Warframe, with some thinking that maybe you shouldn’t exist at all. You wanted to prove yourself. Trying to fight Regor wasn’t wrong,  _ losing  _ to him was. If you had beaten him, well, things would be quite different.”

“That’s...I think Umbra would disagree.

“Bah, Umbra. He’s an old man, barely remembers what it was like to be a new, young frame. Don’t listen to him.”

Kelpie kept her gaze glued to the floor, not saying anything.

“Oh, don’t look like that. There are other strong enemies to take down.You’ve still got chances.”  _ Chances to make a fool out of yourself,  _ Saryn thought.

“You...you really think so?” Kelpie brought her gaze up to Saryn’s, hope in her voice.

“Of course, of course,” Saryn reassured. “But they’ll probably all go this badly if you don’t wise up, and really think about where your priorities lie.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just think about it, Kelpie. I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“You’d better hope you do, or you’ll look like even more of a dumbass. Also, fight them alone, so your teammates can’t steal your kill.” Banshee piped up.

If Kelpie wasn’t flustered before, she was now. “I...well...thanks for the advice.”

“It’s no problem, Kelpie. Come find us if you ever need help with something, alright?” Saryn reassured, her voice dripping with false sincerity. 

“Y-yeah, sure.” she nodded quickly, turned and left. 

After she had gone, Trinity turned to Saryn. “She’s so...brainless, and...what’s the word?”

“Nervous?”

“Yes! Like a kavat hanging by its tail over water.” 

“She’s so afraid to mess up, she’s never going to make a good Warframe.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you were right, Saryn.” 

“I just wish that more frames could see it.” she sighed.

“Well I’ll be sure to let the others know. For once, I think the Lotus finally made a mistake.”

“Ah well, not everyone’s perfect.” Saryn said, grinning inside.


	17. Talking to a Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umbra gets his ankles broken by the consequences of yowling at Kelpie like an angry Kubrow, Scally gets mad, Oberon is the only one who knows the definition of calm, and Alad is the best space dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks getting to page 100 of the google doc we're writing this on, woot.

Umbra walked into Alad’s lab after knocking on the door, wondering why Alad had insisted that he be there as soon as possible.

“What do you want this time-what is going on here?” He walked in to see Alad, Excalibur, and Oberon sitting in a circle, with one space empty.

“Umbra? Good, you’re here. Sit down, please.” Alad gestured to the empty spot.

“Is this an intervention?” 

“Yes. And you  _ will  _ stay and listen.” Oberon said sternly. “I know you usually feel like you’re above this kind of thing, but certain... _ events  _ have made it apparent to me and everyone else who even remotely likes you that there’s a bit of a problem.” 

“Are you talking about the discussion I had with Kelpie?”

“That’s only part of it. You’ve been acting like an emotionless robot. You've been treating certain others with contempt, especially when you think they are doing something wrong. Now this isn’t exactly new, but it’s gotten worse in the past few months. Is there something wrong?”

Umbra was taken aback. He wasn’t aware that he had changed much at all, especially not recently. 

“There’s nothing wrong that I know of, but I don’t get told everything. Are you sure that it’s me, and not you?”

“Are you serious right now, you old fool?” Excalibur exploded. “You are fucking  _ unbearable.  _ What you did to Kelpie is just the tip of the iceberg!” 

“What do you mean, ‘What I did to Kelpie?’” 

“Screaming at her like that! The whole fucking relay heard you. I know you like to go for tough love, but that’s too much. I let you do it to me because I can take it, but she can’t. There are much better ways to tell someone they fucked up without making them never want to touch a sword again, you absolute brick of a person!” 

“Umbra, Excalibur is correct. You need to drop this ‘tough love’ attitude, before you mess someone up for life,” Oberon agreed.

“If I was doing something wrong, I would know. Besides, what I said to Kelpie was for her own good.”

“For her own good my ass!” Alad interjected. “That was completely out of line! You  _ broke  _ her, do you understand?”

“No, I don’t understand! She seems fine to me!”

“Because you didn’t raise her, idiot! Lotus has done what she could, but I can barely get her to leave, much less go on any assignments that are harder than Earth missions. She used to be excited, and now she’s afraid to ask anyone to help her, much less training her, and she apologizes for, quite literally, everything. She's afraid to twitch a finger now. You know she’s sensitive, and you knew how scared she was of messing up, but you kept hammering it anyway. Now, thanks to you, we’re back to the beginning, and with nothing to show for it.”

“Do you think that I  _ wanted _ her to fight Tyl? That is her own fault, not mine. Besides, she never told us what she was doing in that room in the first place.”

Excalibur heaved a long sigh, got up and slapped Umbra right in the exposed flesh of his helmet. 

“What makes you think that you are not to blame here, Umbra? Are you so high-and-mighty, so above everyone else, that you can’t see your own mistakes? What happened to you? What happened to turn you into this uncaring  _ thing _ I see before me, Umbra?”

“I am trying to make sure she doesn’t go and nearly get herself killed again!” He shot back, standing up to face Excalibur. “She’s new, she’s vulnerable, and if it’s not drilled into her that what she did was stupid, she’ll think she can do it again. It was the same with you. Remember Vay Hek? Remember how that went?” 

“Yes, I remember. I remember you reaming me out for trying to help. That’s what I remember.”

“And I remember  _ you  _ getting sent through a tree!”

Oberon sighed before stepping in. “Calm down, this isn’t helping. Umbra, you aren’t perfect. Admit it.”

“I know I’m not, I don’t need you to tell me.”

“Then name one mistake you made within the last month.”

“I...uh…” Umbra couldn’t bring anything to mind.

“Exactly my point. How about this: yelling at a new warframe what she did wrong in front of the whole relay. Everyone heard about it, you know. She can’t go anywhere without getting followed by the whispers that they hide behind raised hands. She is ashamed to be seen by her own  _ comrades _ , and all because you couldn’t pick a better time and place, let alone a better  _ attitude _ , to share with her. You tore her apart, in front of everyone, and you don’t even feel bad about it.”

“Maybe I’d feel a bit more bad if she hadn't just wandered off and just gone to the damn loot room!”

“What makes you think that she was just ‘wandered off?’” Alad asked.

“What else could she have been doing in that room?”

“Oberon, Excalibur, could you..?”

“Yeah, we’ll go, just call us when you’re ready.” he put an arm around Excalibur’s shoulders as they left.

Umbra watched them leave, then turned back to Alad. 

“What’s going on?”

“The reason that Kelpie ‘wandered off.’ Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else, you hear?”

Umbra paused. “What are you saying, Alad?”

“You need to promise me, Umbra. I’m not going on unless I hear you promise.”

Umbra sighed. “Alright, Alad, I promise. Now what’s the big secret?”

“Well...how do I put this...Kelpie’s still quite bloodthirsty, in the most literal way.” 

“You mean, she likes to fight?”

“No, I mean she strips flesh from bone, then breaks that bone and sucks the marrow out like a vampire.”

“Hold on...she  _ eats _ ? As in food?”

“Yes. She’s quite a ravenous little thing, actually. At least, if she doesn’t eat for a while. After three days it gets hard to control, and the longer she goes without flesh, the more volatile she is. That’s what happened. That’s why she wandered off. She was starving. Going off what she said, she hadn't eaten for six days”

Umbra’s mind couldn’t seem to be able to process this new information. He sat in silence for some time. 

“Umbra?” Alad snapped his fingers in front of his exposed eye. “Umbra, you there?” 

“Yes, sorry.” Umbra shook his head. “I still don’t get it.”

“...What is there to not get?” 

“...How can she eat? She must have a mouth, I suppose.”

“Do you need a visual reference?” 

“That would be helpful, yes.”

Alad dug through some old footage before coming across a clip of Kelpie opening her slightly bloodstained maw for him, and showed it to him.

Umbra stared at the clip for several minutes, watching it over and over, still unable to come to terms with the information he was being given. 

“What now?” Alad asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re processing this slower than even Nezha would. What’s wrong? Aside from, y’know,  _ that _ .”

“I guess I’m just not used to the idea of a Warframe that has to eat. Does she have to sleep, too?”

“Not really. She does kind of...zone out for like an hour or two, but she’s still awake then.”

“So, she wandered off to find food, then happened into Tyl Regor, who almost beat her to death, then I…”

“Then, what, Umbra?” Alad leaned forward.

Umbra continued, softly. “I reamed her out for her following basic instincts.” He looked down.

“And?”

“I did it in front of everyone,” Umbra whispered.

“Yep! Good job, you’ve realized what you’ve done to Kelpie. Now, to Excalibur?”

“What about him?”

“Let’s call him and Oberon back in, shall we?” Alad walked over to the door, waving them inside.

“So, any luck?” Excalibur asked him. 

“He has realized what he has done to Kelpie. For this next part, Oberon, you would be welcome to stay, but you can leave if you want,” Alad asked Oberon.

“I’ll stay, thank you.” Oberon patted Excalibur on the shoulder. “He may need some moral support.”

Alad nodded, gesturing for them to sit.

“What is this all about, Alad?” Umbra asked.

“This is the second reason we called you here, Umbra.” Alad paused. “You see, Excalibur here has been under your tutelage for some time now, yes?”

Umbra nodded. “Just over a year, if memory serves.”

“Indeed. In that time, Excalibur has learned many things. But probably the most important thing he has learned, is that he absolutely doesn’t like you, and your personality.”

“I-what?” Umbra stopped. “Say what you mean.”

Alad cleared his throat. “Excalibur feels like you hate him on some level. He feels as if you don’t care about his feelings, and that you take no notice of anything he does correctly. In summary, he feels that you think he isn’t good enough.”

“Good enough for what?” Umbra asked.

“Anything.” Excalibur spat. “You treat me like dirt under your boot. You are always correcting everything I do. Every time I make a mistake, even when I don’t know what I did wrong, you berate me for it. You rub it into me, as if it proves you right somehow. You act like you hate me, and I don’t know why. What have I done to you, why do you treat me like I’m dumber than a rock? What did I ever do to you, to treat me this way? You're only like this with me. Not with Garuda, not with anyone you consider an 'equal,' just me, frigid and robotic. Why did you decide to take me under your wing if you dislike me this much?”

Umbra sat through the whole outburst without uttering a word. When Excalibur was done, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 

“I don’t hate you, Excalibur. I never did.”

Excalibur crossed his arms. "Then why, why do you continue to treat me like nothing? Like I've just crawled out of my cryopod? I'm not the same idiot who nearly fell under Vor's control, you know? I've gotten much stronger, and much more experienced, than that scared frame from so long ago.”

Umbra nodded. “You have come a long way, yes.”

“Then what more do I need from you? What else do you have to teach me, besides being able to hate your protege? I don't want to feel this way, I want to like you, we border on being the same frame, so come on, why, why,  _ why  _ all this? I looked up to you as almost a father when I first met you. You were my idol, who I aspired to be like, but now? Now I can't see why I felt that way.”

Umbra took a deep breath. “I...you aren’t ready.” 

Excalibur huffed. “Ready for what? The world? The people? Life? The troubles and hardships? Umbra,  _ you _ are the hardest part of my life. I thought I'd want to be exactly like you, but here I am trying my best to avoid acting too much like you for Kallic.”

Oberon cleared his throat. “Umbra, Excalibur has carried more than his weight ever since he joined us. He has done his part. He’s been through the grinder, Umbra.”

Umbra nodded slowly. “So you have, Excalibur.”

“What’s more, he’s become something of an expert in melee combat. To my knowledge, you have trained him heavily in ranged combat, yes?”

“Indeed.”

“So, that means that he’s been practicing on his own, outside of your lessons. Spite can be a great motivator, Umbra, as I’m sure you well know.”

Umbra looked around at the group. “So, what do you want from me, then?”

Alad looked dumbfoundedly at Umbra. “Is it not clear by now?”

"Well,  _ I  _ want a straight answer. Why, Umbra? Why do you treat me this way?"

Umbra shook his head. “Because you aren’t ready.”

“Ready for what?” Excalibur’s voice rose. “Ready to be tortured at the hands of a criminal who masterminded his own escape from his people? Ready to be brought to my knees by his hand? Ready to  _ kill my own son?! _ ”

“Now, Excalibur, there’s no need to go there.” Oberon put his arm around his shoulders. “Umbra, he makes a point. Ready for what?”

“I…” Umbra couldn’t answer.

After waiting a moment, Oberon continued. “Look, Umbra, just because you went through that doesn’t mean that anyone else will. Just because you know what that is like, doesn’t mean that others have to know that as well.”

After a pause, Umbra nodded. 

"And it's not like I haven't been through some shit already. Remember what I had to go through to save Kallic from Hunhow? Fighting the Grineer queens? Does that mean nothing?" Excalibur questioned.

Umbra breathed out slowly. “No, it certainly doesn’t.” He put his head down, thinking.

“Well? Do you have an answer, or not?” Excalibur asked, angry. 

“I…” Umbra shook his head after a moment. “I don’t...I’m sorry.”

Excalibur was shocked. After all that he had endured, after everything Umbra had done, he couldn’t answer for his actions? Outraged, he stood, walking over to Umbra.

“Have you  _ nothing _ to say?!” Excalibur roared in his face.

Umbra turned his head away from him, unable to look at him. Excalibur looked at him for a moment, then turned away. He had started to walk away when he heard Umbra speak.

“I couldn’t let it happen to you.”

Turning back, Excalibur crossed his arms. “Let what happen, old man?”

“I...when I started training you, it was easy to see that you were similar to myself. I couldn’t shake the thought that...that you might get captured one day, that you might get tortured for information, or worse. I don’t know why I thought it, but it was always in the back of my mind. I realize now that I shouldn’t have done what I did, but in the moment…” Umbra began to choke up. “It was easy for me to justify my actions in the moment. I told myself that it was for the greater good, that it would help you in the long term.” After a moment, he continued in a whisper. “I know you won’t forgive me, but still, for what it’s worth, I apologize.”

There was a long pause in the room. Oberon had his hands together, looking back and forth between the two of them. Alad was staring at the floor, not saying anything. Umbra’s gaze was turned inward, at himself, losing more of his cold facade with every passing second. Excalibur was still turned away from Umbra, hands behind his back. Finally, it was Oberon who broke the silence.

“Excalibur?”

“Yes, Oberon?”

“Do you have a response?”

He thought for a moment. “Umbra, you treated me like nothing. I was never good enough. Every time that I was proud of something, every time I accomplished something, you would stomp me back down again.”

“I...I did.” Umbra replied, his voice quiet.

“You were a cruel and demanding teacher, Umbra. Yes, you taught me. You taught me that our idols are nothing more or less than what we make them. You taught me that honor is nothing without passion. You taught me that, sometimes, to win a fight, you must lose first. You taught me these things, and yet, you seem not to have learned them yourself.” Excalibur shook his head. “It honestly makes me wonder why I ever thought you to be among the best of us.” 

Umbra had no response, simply hanging his head in shame.

“You know, I have someone looking up to me the same way I looked up to you. I’m not going to do the same thing to my operator that you did to me. I’m not going to ruin him for the sake of some twisted ideal that I think is right. I’m not going to make him think I loathe his very existence and see him as a burden. I won’t be you.” He took a deep breath. “For all that, though, I still care about you, Umbra. Don’t get me wrong; what you did to me was horrible. But I still care, for the very reason that I’m  _ not _ you.”

Umbra nodded, not looking up. 

“I suppose that’s the best I can expect.” Umbra’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “I do hold out hope that, in the future, I can make it up to you.” He looked up at Excalibur.

“I can’t promise anything, Umbra.” Excalibur turned away from him again. “We’ll just have to see what the future holds.”

Umbra nodded slowly. “I won’t ask more of you.” 

Oberon walked up to Umbra, patting him on the shoulder. “I know that hurt, but we had to do something, Umbra. We couldn’t let you keep going down that path. Now that we finally got this over with, we can begin your recuperation. I know that you still care somewhere inside that thick skull of yours.”

Umbra nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he got up, and headed out the door.


	18. Lotus Pools and Lost Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie makes a friend, Hydroid is a good boy, Umbra swallows his pride
> 
> Shanties used -   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0zjQE_K62g  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q55dJzp2P8Y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a character with an accent, so if it's cringy or hard to read, I'm really really sorry. I just wanted Hydroid to e a bit more unique

All things considered, Larunda was really a much nicer place with everyone gone. 

In Earth time, it would be around midnight, and Kelpie was up doing laps around the place, slowly picking her way in a circle around the relay. It was nice, empty, quiet, with no judging glares, nobody remembering Umbra’s little outburst, and nobody whispering behind her back every time she passed. It was just her, alone with her thoughts. Peaceful. At least, it usually was. Sometimes a frame or two stayed behind, sometimes her dad stayed up arguing with a relay worker that would also stay up just so they could argue with each other, who he called Squid, but who was really called Michi. They hated each other, apparently, as if Nef Anyo wasn't enough.

But tonight was not one of those nights. Alad was sleeping like a corpse, and Kelpie strolled around, admiring the star filled space through the relay's many skylights and open spaces. Calm, silent, dark, and lovely. At least, she thought. As she rounded a corner, she heard something that she couldn't identify. Getting closer, it sounded like...water? There were pools and ponds in the relay, but who would be up stirring them around at this hour? She drew closer and peered around the wall. 

She saw a frame sitting cross-legged in a pool in the black and gold of a base prime and looking something like a pirate captain from the old human stories Gara liked to tell, singing quietly to himself, while splashing happily to the rhythm of the song. Kelpie was immediately curious, and decided to introduce herself. After all, what did she have to fear from a frame that was unashamedly splashing in a pool? 

"Hello?" 

The frame stopped singing, looking over at her, before bellowing, “Aye, hullo, lassie! Come ta join me in this noice puddle, ‘ere?” 

"Uh...no, I just heard you singing and splashing, and came to check out what it was. Who are you?"

“Ah! Where's me manners? Names Hydroid, lassie, an’ wot may oi be calling you by?”

"I'm Kelpie." She said, a bit quieter.

“Ah, yer her, aren’t yeh? Well,‘bout time I met yeh. Strange little thing ye are.”

“Wh...why do you say that?” His words made Kelpie nervous.

“I’ve bin hearin’ sae much ‘bout yeh. I’m nae sure what tae make of yeh either, kennit?” 

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Yer weird! Nae offence, lass, but yeh really are.” 

“I see. I guess I am weird. You are too, though!” she added defensively. “I mean, what are you even doing here?”

“I culd ask yeh the same thing. Why are you oot and about and not with yer auld man, eh?”

“Well, I like walking around the relay when there’s nobody here, and that’s only at night, so here I am. How about you?”

“Culd sae’ the same thing. E’eryone thinks I’m a bit ‘o a weirdo as well.”

“Speaking of, why are you singing and splashing in this pool?”

“I like the water, an’ I like meh shanties. Not’in else much tae it.”

“You like the water too?” Kelpie asked, suddenly excited. “Like, you can be in it and everything? Can you swim?” 

“Aye, ‘course I like the water, meh name is bloody Hydroid, ain’ it? I can swim, no’ as well as I suspect yeh can.” 

“Right, right, of course. I guess I’m just happy to find someone even remotely similar to me. I’ve begun to feel like such an outcast recently. Maybe it’s silly, but I can’t get Umbra out of my head.”

“Wuld yeh wanna talk about it?” he asked, patting the water next to him. “I wuldn’t mind. Might give meh some insight inteh yeh.” 

“Oh, alright.” she splashed into the pond beside him, being careful not to disturb the plants. 

“Tell me yer woes, lass.” he said, kindly. 

“I feel like a failure. I feel like an idiot. I feel like a mistake. What is there to tell? I’m just a...I don’t even know. Am I a real Warframe? Am I just an imitation?” she sighed.

“Yeh look like a real Warframe tae meh. Yer definitely nae the firs’ one tae dae something stupid. If yeh want meh honest opinion, I think Umbra was tae harsh on yeh. Way tae harsh. Yer a wee thing, new, an’ shaken’ like a newborn foal, an’ here he is screamin’ at yeh like yeh bit ‘im in the arse.” he pat her on the shoulder.

“He was acting like I bit him in the ass, too. I thought he liked me. He was nice to me the first time we spoke, but one slip up and now I’m dirt? I can see why Excalibur can’t stand him.”   
  


“Aye, he’s way tae harsh on ‘im as well, but he juss doesn’t seem tae care. I dunnae what he thinks he's doin’ to Scally, but it ain't good. The kid’s already showin’ signs of wear ‘n tear. He’s ruining him.” Hydroid shook his head. “The feckin’ tube.” 

“Yeah, I hope he stops. I like Excalibur, and I don’t want Umbra to ruin him.” Kelpie looked down sadly. “I’ve already got enough going wrong.” 

“Forgive meh fer sayin’ this, lass, but ye’ve gotta learn tae stand up fer yerself. Can’t just let that dobber walk all over yeh. Umbra’s a dick. Are yeh really gonna let him win?” 

“I...I don’t want to let him, no. But I’m just a new frame, and no one is going to listen to me.”

“I’m listenen’ tae yeh. Yer not a bad gal.” 

“Oh...um...thank you.” she said, a bit surprised. He patted her between the ears.

“Juss know that you dinnae have tae take his shite.”

“I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Hydroid.”   
  
“No problem lass. With that outta the way, I think I’m gonna gae back to meh shanties.” 

“C-can I sing with you?” she asked quietly, staring at the water.

“Eh? Now why wuld yeh wanna do that, way I ask?” 

“Well, why not? I like to sing. I’m not all that good at it, but I like it, and I like your voice. You sound nice, and it reminds me a bit of Dad...he sang to me in a similar accent when I was a baby. No idea why, but it always put me right to sleep. Those are...nice memories.” 

“Aye...makes me glad to hear that, yeh know? So many little gals abandon their Das when they grow up. They love those little gals to pieces, but they juss’ leave em. But yeh love yer da to pieces, an’ it makes me happy to see that. Don’t take yer da fer granted, ever, yeh hear?”

“I won’t. I would never.” she declared.

"Atta gal." He sat silently for a long time, staring out of a skylight. When he spoke, his voice was low and sad. "Y'know lass, yeh remind me of my own gal. Long before I was...this '' he gestured to himself. "I had a daughter like yeh. She was a lovely li'tle thing, raven hair, eyes like the sea, an' always smilin'. I dinnae what's happened to her. She's probaly dead. I remember not'in else from my time before I was a Warframe except her. E'ery day I hope I'll find her, see her again, just one more time. I'd sell meh soul tae that bastard Hunhow if it meant seein' my gal once more before I kick the bucket. I know it's hopeless…" he trailed off, burying his face in his hands. Kelpie felt a stab of fierce affection and heartbreak for him. 

"What was her name?" 

"Maralee." 

"Oh, how pretty. Did you name her?"

"Aye." he nodded and said nothing more. Kelpie sat with him, hoping she was more of a comforting presence than a bother.

"Yer a real good gal, Kelpie. Yer alrigh'. Like Mara, or my Nyxie. It's sae strange, she's so similar to my Mara, they could be sisters." Hydroid gave a long sigh. "Forgive me fer doubtin' yeh, lassie. I ne'er told anyone this but Nyx. Thank yeh fer listenin' tae an auld man's sorrows."

“Your welcome. So...Nyx?”

“Aye, I found her when she first dropped outta her cryo. She was shaken’ like a leaf an’ scared outta her mind, sae what else culd I dae? Ran right into meh arms.”

“Oh, that's sweet.”

“Nyxie’s a nice gal, hope yeh meet her someday.” 

“I hope so, too.”

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the peace and the calm water. Hydroid began humming quietly, gently splashing the water in time to the tune. Kelpie sat quietly, listening. After Hydroid had made his way through the tune once, Kelpie suddenly joined, harmonizing with him. After a short while of this, Hydroid began singing the words to the song, which Kelpie later learned was called Roll the Old Chariot Along.

“ _ Oh, we’d be all right, if the wind was in our sails, _

_ We’d be all right, if the wind was in our sails,  _

_ We’d be all right, if the wind was in our sails, _

_ And we’ll all hang on behind.” _

_ “And we’ll roll the old chariot along, _

_ We’ll roll the old chariot along _

_ We’ll roll the old chariot along _

_ And we’ll all hang on behind.” _

Hydroid continued singing, and Kelpie kept singing along, and neither of them kept much track of time. 

Meanwhile, Umbra was walking around the relay, no particular destination in mind. The intervention staged by Oberon, Excalibur, and Alad had left him feeling sorry for himself. He had thought he was doing the right thing, training Excalibur the way he had, but he had been wrong. Very wrong. And in the wake of his attitude surrounding his training, he had ended up destroying his relationship with Excalibur and had possibly ruined Kelpie’s desire to grow as a Warframe. As a result, his mood was glum, and his thoughts were dark.

_ What in the name of the Lotus is that?  _ He wondered as he walked deeper into the relay.  _ Who would be singing at this hour? _

Deciding to investigate, he moved closer to the sound. As he closed in, the singing became sharper, and he could hear two voices, singing in harmony. He peered around the corner to see Hydroid and Kelpie sitting in one of the decorative lotus ponds and singing their hearts out. They looked so content, with Hydroid especially looking happier than Umbra had seen him in years, that he couldn’t bring himself to disturb them, but he desperately wanted to apologize to Kelpie.

Listening to the music, Hydroid’s rough voice mixing with Kelpie’s bright and smooth one, something broke inside of him. Looking down, Umbra was surprised to find his shawzin in his hands, all smooth, black wood and gold inlay. Kneeling, his hands involuntarily took their places. And quietly, slowly, head down, his hands began to play along to the song.

_ Pull the curtain, part the veil, to peer at the abyss _

__ _ The solar rails are open sails, the winds through nothingness, _

__ _ The Void, it will bring bounty on the tide of the broken, _

__ _ Nine drums and seven virtues echo from the mist. _

__ _ A home, a weapon, family, this Railjack and it’s crew, _

__ _ To us we are our everything, no need for something new. _

_ A haven, home, a family, we’ll take it where we go, _

_ Through Sol and Tau alike, we are the Void within our bones. _

_ We carry their war across starry waters _

_ Though broken and sore, we die on our feet. _

_ We cut the heavens like thunder and lightning,  _

_ We frighten the storms that trouble the seas. _

This song, thankfully, Umbra knew. An old railjack shanty he caught himself humming from time to time, reminding himself of better days. His fingers glided over the shawzin's strings, perfectly in time with the two singers.

_ The jack and crew entwined we fight akin as gun and blade _

__ _ The mission, it is everything for which we four were made _

__ _ Thrusters, engines, armaments all set to overdrive. _

__ _ The forges burn for souls in turn to keep the ship alive. _

__

__ _ Pull the curtain, part the veil, to peer at the abyss _

__ _ A color you have never seen peers back from nothingness. _

__ _ The Void, it will pull secrets that you wish it would hide. _

__ _ Behold infinite dissonance, the man behind your eyes. _

_ We carry their war across starry waters _

_ Though broken and sore, we die on our feet. _

_ We cut the heavens like thunder and lightning,  _

_ We frighten the storms that trouble the seas. _

The last bars were sung, and the strings stilled. Umbra felt an odd sort of joy, playing again. It had been a long time since he'd even considered touching the thing. He knew he'd given himself away, but at the moment, he was alright with that. It might even be easier on him, if she confronted him first. 

“Umbra? What are you doing here?” she sounded worried, and a bit irritated. Water pooled around her legs.

Umbra took a deep breath. “I know this must be really awkward for you, and I’m sorry I interrupted, but I wanted to talk with you.” he said, trying to be less formal. He felt Hydroid glaring at him, and hoped he wasn’t imagining strangling him with his tentacles. 

“What did I do this time?” she asked, sounding a bit more fearful. 

“Nothing, Kelpie. You did nothing,  _ I _ did it. Alad and some friends had a very long talk with me, and…” he steeled himself. “I’m sorry, Kelpie. I’m sorry for shrieking at you in front of the whole bloody relay, and I’m sorry for being so cruel and unfair. You have every right to hate me, and if you do, I won’t bother you again.” 

Kelpie sat in quiet shock for a few moments, processing everything. Umbra,  _ Excalibur Umbra, _ has just said sorry. To her. The High Lord of Hardassery, had just apologized. 

“Are you pulling my leg right now?” she questioned. 

“I am not, Kelpie, but I understand your disbelief.” he laughed to himself. “One advantage of being so humorless, I’d never joke about something like this. Your father did an excellent job of making me feel very bad about it. Even the Lotus yelled at me for it.”

“Umbra…” she jumped forward and hugged him tightly.

“What's all this?” Umbra asked, not used to being shown this kind of affection.

“It’s ok, Umbra, really. I understand why you yelled, you were right, to a degree. I’m sorry to have put you through all that, but if you knew why I’d run off…”

“I do know, Alad told me. I won’t tell another soul, I swear on my honor as a Dax and a Warframe. I thought you were just being stupid and heroic. Forgive me, Kelpie, please.”   
  
“I already have.” 

“I…” Umbra was lost for words. “So...you don’t hate me?”

“No, of course not. I was ashamed that I’d let you down.” 

“And I overreacted.”

“So I guess we’re both the stupids here.”

“Yeah, I guess we are.” Umbra smiled sadly under his helmet. She reminded him, just a bit, of Isaah, but even their small similarities made his heart ache. Kelpie let him go and trotted back to Hydroid. 

“Yeh can keep playin’ along with us if yeh’d like.” he offered.

Umbra paused to consider. On the one hand, he did have some things to cross off his list, but on the other…

“Thank you, Hydroid. I will stay.”

Hydroid gave him a thumbs up, and Kelpie dragged him over, plonking him in the shallower end of the pool. He played with them the rest of the night, not even minding the water.


	19. Trouble is my Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aww shit, here we go again.

The weeks passed, Kelpie’s run in with Tyl Regor became nothing more than background chatter to more pressing drama, and Kelpie herself improved in leaps and bounds, and she wasn’t the only one who was experiencing some significant changes.

In the time since his little talk, and Excalibur’s confession, Umbra had thrown his full weight into his reformation, trying to break down his reputation for being cold-hearted and uncaring. It was, admittedly, a hard habit to crack, but even in this short time, there was a noticeable difference to him. He was more cheerful, and more open to change than he had been in the past, and he felt lighter than he had in years. It was like unclenching his teeth after holding them tightly together for decades. Excalibur noticed the difference, and while he kept his distance, he seemed pleased. Alad seemed to go easier on him, and Oberon was being his usual encouraging self. Even his relationship with Kelpie had rapidly improved, and she was happy to spend her time with him, instead of dreading him talking to her, which only served to encourage him all the more.

Kelpie herself was bouncing off the walls, bored with the training missions that had become child’s play to her, and champing at the bit to prove herself, show that she was serious and could really hold her own. 

Enter an invitation to Oro from Garuda.

“Vay Hek’s back already?” Umbra groaned. “How did they clone him again so quickly?”

“Unfortunately, and not a clue. Maybe Regor had something to do with it, although they hate each other.” Oberon said from behind Garuda. “All we know is that he’s back, again. And we have to kill him. Again.”

“It’s Operation Potato Masher all over again.” Harrow sighed. “I’m not going.”

“Neither am I.” Oberon agreed. “But Garuda is, and she invited Mesa.”

“And I’d like you two to come along. You and Kelpie, that is.” She told Umbra. “It’ll be fun!”

“Uh...who is Vay Hek, and what’s Operation Potato Masher?” Kelpie spoke up. 

“Councilor Vay Hek is a Grineer leader. He runs Earth, and he’s a...how do I put this nicely? He’s...a gigantic windbag.” Umbra answered.

“And he looks like he eats paint.” Harrow added.

“That too. Operation Potato Masher was the nickname they gave to the last hit the Lotus put out on him.”

“Ah, good times.” Harrow said ”It was Oberon, Ivara, Khora, and myself. None of us wanted to do it, so we gathered up a bunch of exploding barrels from other missions, lured him to the ground, then I chained him up and set them off. There was never an explosion so beautiful, and never has an assassitation target been killed so quickly.” 

“All because you were feeling lazy?” Kelpie asked.

“Yep!”

“Um, I’m assuming he won’t fall for that again. Do you have another idea?” 

“Ha! You don’t know him, he absolutely would, he’s a complete dumbass, but we’re not doing that this time. Because I’m not going! Fuck that shit, I’ve seen enough of his face and had enough of him raping my ears to last several lifetimes. Have you ever heard the sound a kavat makes when it gets its tail stepped on? He’s that but a thousand times louder and more obnoxious.”

“So that’s why you’re throwing me at him?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t want to fight him, so you’re sending the newbie at him?”

“Well, it’s good practice. You’ll be with Umbra and Garuda, you’ll be fine. And Mesa too, but she’s kind of...triggerhappy.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kelpie cocked her head, curious.

“It is, it just makes her a tad spastic at times.”

“So, what do you say?” Garuda offered.

“S-sure, I’ll go, I just hope it won’t end up like last time. At least Tyl was pleasant to listen to.” 

“Great! We’ll grab Mesa and go then! Go tell your dad.”

“W-wait, we’re going right now?”

“Yeah, why not?” 

“O-oh, ok!” Kelpie rushed off to find Alad.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Garuda?” Oberon asked.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll keep an eye on her, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll make sure Umbra keeps his mouth shut.”

“By sitting on his face.” Harrow muttered.

“I heard that, Gun Priest.” she said sweetly, flexing her talons. Harrow looked back innocently.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Garuda simply glared at him.

Meanwhile, Kelpie was running towards Alad’s lab, excited that she had finally been invited on another mission. Reaching the door, she shoved her head inside.

“Hey, Dad, I’ve been asked to go fight Vay Hek! I’ll be back later!” she said cheerfully.

Alad whirled around so fast he fell out of his seat. “What!?”

“Going to fight Vay Hek!” she said, before running off again, meeting back up with her teammates. There were two new frames standing with them, both having some odd looking headwear, and the gold piecing of primes. 

“You’ll be careful, right Mesa?” the taller of the two asked. She took off his hat and patted him on the head.

“You know me, cowboy. I can always get both into, and out of, trouble very easily.” she said playfully.

“I know, but still. You  _ enjoy  _ getting into trouble. You can’t act like that with Kelpie around. Besides, we don’t really know anything about her, so who knows what could end up happening?”

“You worry too much, Limbo. Besides, this will act as my chance to get a measure on her.”

He didn’t look very convinced, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Uh…” Kelpie spoke up. They broke apart, looking awkward.

“S-sorry.” Limbo said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t see you there.”

“I-it’s okay,” Kelpie said, just as awkwardly.

"Hey Kelpie, I see you've met Limbo and Mesa." Garuda said, striding up to them. "Limbo, putting your foot in your mouth as usual I see." She teased. "And Mesa, as tactless as ever. You two are perfect for each other."

"Oh come off it Garu, or I won't help you with paint eater." Mesa replied, feigning offense.

"I'd almost prefer that. Don't call me Garu." she said, flicking the brim of Mesa's hat.

"Ladies, ladies, let's not fight in front of the new girl." Limbo said calmly, getting between the two. "Besides, no fighting in the relay when Umbra's around."

“We’re not fighting, we’re  _ conversing. _ ” Garuda said.

"Uh huh. Sure."

Kelpie couldn’t contain herself any longer. “Are we going yet? I wanna fight Vay Hek!”

"Yeah yeah, hold yours horses gal." Mesa said, patting her on the head. 

“But I wanna go…” Kelpie said, pouting.

"And we will! As soon as Garuda stuffs a tube sock into her mouth."

"Not a chance-hey!" Umbra had slung her over his shoulder. 

“Let’s go, before our newest friend loses her mind,” Umbra chided her.

“Hmph, fine.” she said, fake-pouting. Umbra laughed and put her down.

“Alright, are you ready, Kelpie?” Mesa asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. I hope this goes better than last time.”

Arriving at Oro, the squad moved quietly and with purpose. The jungle and underbush was dense, and Kelpie kept turning her head back and forth to look at all the foliage. 

“Kelpie, focus. You’re going to have to have all your faculties in place for this one,” Umbra spoke up.

"I know, I know. But it's really beautiful." she said apologetically.

“It is, indeed. But keep in mind, Vay Hek is also here, and he doesn’t care if you’re looking at the flowers or not, he’ll pound all of us into the ground if we aren’t careful.” Umbra patted her shoulder. “I just want to make sure you’ll be alright.”

"I will, I promise. There's too much riding on this, I can't fail again or I'll make dad look like a fool."

“Don’t worry, as long as you pay attention, and follow our lead, you’ll be fine.” She nodded, and put her focus on the path ahead.

“Not to worry anyone, but where are all the enemies?” Mesa asked quietly.

“Good question. It’s always crawling with Grineer. They must be planning something.” Garuda answered, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. “Stay sharp, I have a bad feeling about this.”

The group kept moving forward, slowly. Umbra was on point, with Kelpie behind him. Mesa and Garuda brought up the rear, watching their backs. 

“Before we run into him, I want to make something clear to you. Despite what Harrow said, Hek is quite dangerous, and shouldn’t be taken lightly, understand?” Umbra said. Kelpie nodded.

Suddenly, they heard shouting in the distance, and looked ahead just into to see a veritable army of Grineer barrelling down on them.

“Blades up, we’ve got work to do!” Garuda said, swinging her talons forward and jumping in.

It quickly turned from a fight into a deathmatch, with the Warframes being heavily outnumbered and finding it increasingly difficult to stick together.

“Did he know we were coming?” Mesa yelled over the din of combat.

“It’s possible, but unlikely. Maybe we just got unlucky?” Garuda suggested.

“Let’s worry about that later!” Umbra spoke up. “Where’s Kelpie?”

“Over here! Or, trying to stay over here.” she piped up, her Galatine red from tip to guard. 

“Stay together, we don’t want to get separated here!”

“I know, but it’s kind of difficult with so many enemies!” Kelpie was getting pushed farther away from the group. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her calf and was wrenched backwards, dragged across the hard ground. Damn Scorpions. 

“Umbra! Help!” Kelpie desperately tried to get back up, failing. And being dragged off.

“KELPIE!” Umbra tried to go after her, but was blocked by the Grineer. “Kelpie, I’ll find you! Just hold on!”

The Scorpion's grapple was eventually loosened, and she separated from her head. Kelpie looked around, but she’d been dragged surprisingly far, into a clearing with half overgrown metal platforms, with more Grineer blocking her way back. She felt slightly sick, and stucked herself into a nook in the rock wall, planning her next move. The one silver lining she could see is that the troops here seemed less inclined to start shooting at her.

She looked around for an escape route. The way she had been dragged was blocked off by a large party of the Grineer, forcing her to go the other direction. The pathway was overgrown, but mostly devoid of enemies, and the ones she didn’t find didn’t seem to notice her, or they didn’t care. It was very strange, how they took a glance at her and decided she wasn’t a threat. 

She came to a similar clearing, this one looking a bit more like an arena, and her stomach flipped. She was walking right into another encounter that would make her look like a fool, she was sure of it. 

“Umbra?” she called over communications.

“I’m here, Kelpie. Where are you?” Umbra asked, anxious.

“I’m not sure, some large clearing. There’s a river under it though, it’s a very overgrown metal platform. This was the only route I saw that wasn't blocked off, please don’t be angry.” she begged quietly.

“I’m not angry, it’s not like you had much of a choice.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, stay there, find a hiding place if you have to, and stay on the line, I’ll come back and try to find you.” 

“Is that ok with Mesa and Garuda? Don’t abandon them for my sake, they’re our teammates, too.”

“They’ll be fine, they have been around a long time, and they’ll be able to handle themselves. I’m coming, hang on.”

“If I get into a fight I can’t get out of, what do you want me to do?” 

Umbra paused for a moment. “Do the best you can, and stay alive until I get there.”

“Alright.” She said. No sooner had the words left her mouth, when her ears caught the low boom of metallic footsteps.   
  
Big ones.


	20. Belligerent Turkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vay Hek gets hekked, get ready for context to be taken out.

Tenno, Tenno, Tenno, always those accursed Tenno. If they weren’t there to bother him specifically, they were crawling around his territory and killing his men, as replaceable as they were. They were always a damned nuisance, costing him precious time, money, and resources. 

And apparently trying to drown Tyl Regor had also been added to the agenda.

Regor had been quite a bit more honest then expected in his story of the dealings with Alad’s whelp. Alad, where did the Lotus even scrape him up? And how had he managed to make another Tenno to be a thorn in his side? He didn’t particularly care. While she wasn’t a threat to him (at least, not one he’d admit) it would probably do them all some good if he could nip the bud, so to speak. Killing her would also give him a nice little bit of bragging to hold over that bird-legged, top-heavy smartass. 

So a few reports and changed orders later, he had the little foal right where he wanted her. Scared, separated from her herd, and completely vulnerable. It was time to make his appearance.

Kelpie’s head snapped up as the thick undergrowth crackled and broke under heavy metal talons.    
  
“Umbra…”

Umbra, hearing Kelpie’s tone of voice, broke into a run. “I’m on my way, Kelpie, I’ll be there soon!” He didn’t want to think about what Alad would do if he didn’t get there in time. He looked out over the sea of enemies, and his heart sank like a rock in the ocean. He’d never make it in time. Then, a thought came to mind, a memory. What would Excalibur say if he saw his mentor now, giving up? He would make it, or die trying.

Kelpie was stuck in the clearing, with nowhere to go. Her heart rate was rising, breath was coming more and more rapidly, and she was looking around frantically for a spot to stuff herself and hide, but there was nowhere. The shadows parted, revealing their quarry in all his metal glory. Her heart stopped for a moment.

“So, you’re the little insect who tried to drown Regor...I thought you’d be more impressive.” 

Kelpie kept quiet, turning to keep Vay Hek in her field of view as he stalked around her. She lowered her stance, ready to move if she had to. Hek noticed this, and chuckled.   
  


“What makes you so nervous, Tenno?”

Again Kelpie held her tongue, unsure of what to say. 

“Funny, you’re nothing like he described, no fire, at all. I’m not enough to set you off, then

hmm? It’s hard to believe you put up such a fierce fight, pitiful as you are, but,” he cracked an ugly grin that made her shiver. “I wish you’d have managed to finish him off for me.”

“Wasn’t doing it for you.” she said, quietly. 

“Well, what would it have mattered? He would still have been disposed of. Who you would have done it for wouldn’t have mattered.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” she replied, timidly. “B-besides, maybe it’s better I let him live. He’s easier on the eyes  _ and  _ ears.” she said, and instantly regretted it. 

“Well, you’ve certainly got a mouth on you.” she winced. “Oh I know all about that set of jaws you hide. A strange weapon for one of you to carry.”

“A-and if you don’t back off, you’ll get to feel it, too!” she said, desperately looking for an escape. Hek cut her off.

“As interesting of an insect as you are, you’re also quite a problematic little pest, and not one we can really have running around. It’s nothing personal, but I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here. Not alive, at least.”

“But I never-”

“And that’s why I said it wasn’t personal. Besides, killing you will make Regor look like a fool, for not being to deal with something as weak and pathetic as you. You’d think Alad would’ve been able to do a better job.”

“How do you know? He did better on me than you could ever do on...anything, really.” 

“Your sense of self-worth is charming, but misplaced. You see, you shouldn’t exist. I am merely rectifying the mistake that was made.”

“Physically at least, you’re looking like the bigger mistake on this end.” she said drily. 

“Do I now? Maybe you should look at yourself in a mirror. I don’t know how Alad can take that view, but I don’t think I can for much longer. But then...he’s just as unappealing as you are, so maybe that’s how he bears it.”

“The same way your colleagues have to look at you without your face plate. Eyes tightly shut. You look like something Umbra would feed to his kubrow.” 

“And you look like you should have been thrown back into the ocean you came from. Really, where did you get those looks? Perhaps from some repressed gene in your father’s genome. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he regrets creating you on that basis alone.”

“He’s not my actual father, dumbass. And even if he was...look at  _ your _ genome You’re nothing but a mess of old, rotting DNA spun into the rough form of something slightly living. Everyone calls you a potato, and I can see why. You’re an ugly, decaying, blighty spud that’d been trampled in the mud and left to rot, both your body, and your heart. Even if Dad doesn’t look the best, he’ll always be a better person than you!” she growled.

_ “Kelpie don’t lunge at him!”  _ Umbra warned over communications. She clenched her fist.   
  
“Oh please, lunge at me. Take me down.” Hek taunted. “Show me that fire.”

“Kelpie, that’s what he’s been wanting the whole time.  _ Do not _ fall for his trap, you can’t win.” Umbra sounded out of breath.

“I-I won’t.” 

“And here I thought you were actually going to try. Why give up so soon, when I’m right here, waiting for you to defend your misplaced virtues with a clumsy attempt at violence?” Vay Hek harrumphed. “You aren’t half the flame I was told you were.”

"You're not worth the effort." She said, an idea blooming in the back of her mind. 

“And yet you still haven’t made a dash for it, or tried to complete your oh so precious mission.”

"You dragged me over here, idiot! If you want to kill me so badly, come do it yourself!"   
  


“Oho, are you challenging me? What happens if I don’t come over there and kill you?”

"Then I'll wait for Umbra to come do it, but I won't fight you."

“Hmph, such a quitter. And here I thought your father would have raised you properly.”

“Did a better job than whoever made your ugly mug.” 

“Speak for yourself; you’re in no condition to criticize the way I look. You look like you were found at the bottom of a sewer.”

“Maybe I do, but at least I’m not working with a second rate idiot who launched the infested outbreak. Tyl might be an asshole, but at least he’s not a complete fool, like your fellow potato friend Tengus.” 

  
“You don’t know what you speak of!” He said, grinding his teeth. Kelpie was congratulating herself on getting under his skin and remembering what Alad had told her about him, when the sound of metallic footsteps thundered, and she just managed to get out of the way before being crunched like a dry twig.

Twisting back, Hek managed a glancing blow off her shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to do any harm. Kelpie, on the other hand, landed a shot to his back, knocking him off-balance.

_ "Kelpie!"  _ Umbra yowled over the line, still hacking his way through Hek's minions.

“Umbra! He charged me, what do I do?!”

_ "Oh by the tits of the Lotus...fuck it, fight back, that's your only option, I'll be there as soon as I can." _

“I’ll do what I can, but do you have any pointers?” Kelpie asked as she dodged another of Hek’s attacks.

_ "Shoot him in the FUCKING face."  _ He shouted.  _ "In. The. Face!" _

__ “Right, will do.” She looked at Hek again. "Easier said than done!"

_ "I believe in you. Come on, prove your detractors wrong!" _

__ “I will, Umbra!” Kelpie yelled, turning to fire at Hek, who was bearing down on her again. 

“You will not be leaving this place in one piece, Tenno fool!” Hek shouted.

Kelpie ducked and rolled again, being missed by mere inches and really wishing she’d stop being dragged into things like this. Raising Paris, she loosed an arrow at him, missing his face by inches. 

“Ha! You couldn’t hit the Void if it was right in front of you!” Vay Hek taunted.

“Neither could you, seeing as how you’ve missed both of your potshots!” was her incredibly witty reply. Umbra’s sigh was audible over the line.

“This is not even my final form!” Hek laughed as he started to transform.

Kelpie could only watch in horror as he changed into a flying monstrosity, complete with mounted machine guns. In her fright, she froze, unsure of what to do. In that moment, Hek started firing at her, and it was all she could do to not get hit. Rolling and dodging, she messaged Umbra.

“Where are you?! He’s attacking me!” She yelled, panicked.

Umbra had been hoping this wouldn’t happen, but seeing as it now had, he quickened his pace.  _ “I’ll be there, Kelpie, just stay alive! Come to think of it, make as much noise as possible, I’ll find you quicker that way.” _

“Okay, Umbra.” She ducked as Hek launched a missile at her. “I can’t promise on the staying alive part, though.”

Umbra didn’t want to think about it. Instead, stopped, and listened for a moment. After a small moment, he could hear faint explosions off to the left. He ran towards the commotion, hoping he would make it in time.

It seemed like Kelpie could do nothing but run and dodge. Hek was constantly firing at her, not giving her a chance to use Paris, so she was reduced to avoiding his attacks. And that would have been fine, if she had been calm, and not panicking the whole time. After a while of this, however, she began to notice that she wasn’t being hit, and gained some confidence in herself. Then, the worst happened.

Kelpie got a hoof stuck in a gap in the floor. In that moment, panic overtook her, and she began to thrash around, trying to get it loose. Sensing the end was near, Hek flew closer to her, stopping when he was right above her head.

“So, it seems that you’ve finally made your last mistake. Pity, you would have made great target practice for my soldiers. Such a waste.” Hek laughed.

In her panic, Kelpie saw her chance. When Vay Hek dropped a little too low, she opened her maw, and slammed it shut on one of his legs. Hek let out acry of rage, reflexively trying to fly away from her, and her powerful jaws. It was at that moment that Umbra arrived. 

He was slightly out of breath from having run the whole way, but immediately started firing Fulmin at Hek. This new threat caused Hek to change direction to face Umbra, and in so doing, twisted his leg in Kelpie’s mouth even more. Umbra heard the sounds of crunching, squealing metal and snapping wires, and looked down at Kelpie just in time to see Vay Hek’s mechanical leg, separated from his body, resting limply in her jaws like a dead fish, sparking where the top connective joint had been torn out. Umbra could do nothing but stare in amazement.

Hek started to fly away, abandoning the fight. “Do  _ not _ think we are done here, Tenno!” He turned away, issuing an order to his soldiers. “Grineer! I’ve done my part! Clean up this mess!” 

“Coward!” Kelpie yelled after him. She bent down and used the severed leg to pry her hoof free of the floor.

Umbra had messaged Garuda and Mesa with their location, and they arrived as fast as they could. Umbra quickly brought them up to speed, and soon, the group was running after the retreating form of Vay Hek.

They quickly caught up with him and completed their mission. When Hek eventually turned around to face them, Mesa was ready, and shot his face to pieces. 

Garuda turned to Kelpie. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Well, aside from being shot at by a rotten potato, I’m alright,” she replied, shakily. 

“You didn’t end up needing my help at all,” Umbra spoke up. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

Kelpie looked down, unsure of what to say.

“Besides, tearing his leg off is something that no one else has done. Congratulations, you now hold a record.”

If Kelpie had been lost for words before, she was even more so now. Umbra simply patted her shoulder.

“Nice job out there. Alad’s going to be over Lua when he hears.” 


	21. Creeping Ivy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saryn doing Saryn things, Vauban no like, Kelpie needs a very long cry, and Alad needs a GUN.

Vauban was waiting for something. What, exactly, he didn’t know. He only knew what had been written on the message he had received earlier, telling him to wait in a certain spot. So, here he was, sitting and waiting.

It wasn’t long before a familiar form approached him. It was Saryn, walking purposefully toward him. He stood as she approached.

“Saryn? What’s going on?”

She cocked her head, pausing before answering. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Vauban was confused. “What do you mean? You’re the one that called me here.”

“What I mean is, you’re advocating for Kelpie. And yet, you don’t like her. At least, that’s what you claim to think.”

Vauban laughed. “Is that all? I’m only advocating for her because of you. You’re treating her way too harshly, and she doesn’t deserve that.”

Saryn paused again before answering. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Just because she isn’t very good now, doesn’t mean she won’t be later. That isn’t to say that I like her, mind. I just think that you’re too harsh. Besides, I don’t trust Alad, no matter what the others tell me.”

Saryn sighed. “At least there’s that. But, that’s not enough. I need you with me.”

“...Why?” Vauban asked carefully.

“Because, things are going to change. And you’ll want to be with me when that happens.” She slowly walked up to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “It’s just that, I care about you, and I don’t want to see you taken away from me.”

Saryn was unsure about exploiting Vauban’s loneliness, but she consoled herself with the fact that it was for the greater good. After a moment, Saryn pulled him into a quick hug, saying nothing. Releasing him, she said, “I really care about you, Vauban. I don’t want to go through this without you.”

After a moment, he nodded, slowly. “I care about you, too.”

“So...you’ll be here for me?” She asked, tentatively.

After a moment, Vauban answered. “I’ll think about it, Saryn.”

“That’s all I can ask, I suppose.” Saryn pulled him into another hug, this one longer. Surprisingly, she felt Vauban hug her back, and felt a small stab of regret for doing this to him. Again, though, she told herself that it was worth it. 

“So, what is this plan of yours?”

“I don’t have anything solid, yet. Kelpie is just messing up the natural order of things here, and not in a good way. She should never have been made, and there shouldn’t be any more of her kind made.”

Vauban didn’t say anything. Perfect. She could see the cogs turning in his mind, trying to formulate the “correct” answer. She interrupted before that could happen.

“Look, just think about it, alright?”

“Alright.” Vauban turned to leave. “Take care of yourself, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

She waved to him. “I will, for you.”

Vauban clenched a fist. Damn if that frame didn't cause him problems. He was almost tempted to sit back and stop being damage control. But if he did that, who would keep Saryn in check? He didn’t want to imagine a case in which Saryn didn’t have someone to keep her from getting herself into trouble. Grudgingly, he came to terms that he would be the one to hold her back, and save her from herself, if possible.

Returning to his orbiter, he sat for a time, thinking. He had told her that he would consider joining her cause, but he didn’t tell her the full truth about it. He didn’t consider Alad V to be fully committed to the Tenno, but he held no quandary with his so-called daughter. Kelpie was only trying her best, and though it didn’t seem to work out for her, she kept at it. But on the other hand, she had a knack for bringing trouble into situations that were otherwise going well. 

He thought well into the night.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kelpie? What are you doing down there?” Alad asked, peering through the dark jungle of cables that lurked under his workbench and nudging her back gently with his foot. His usual work engrossment had made him completely oblivious to the fact his daughter was lurking there until he decided to stretch. She rolled onto her stomach, and stared at him, helmet off, her red hair in a braid and her eyes red rimmed and looking rather misty.

“Kelpie?” Alad said, quietly. 

“Ah...you know...just wanted some dark and quiet, that’s all.” she said quietly, turning her head away.

“Are you alright?” He asked, concern written across his face. 

“Well…” Kelpie wasn’t sure what to tell him. Much as she wanted to confess, pour out everything, about the weird looks and the whispers, Saryn’s counterproductive advice, her continued feeling of inadequacy...what right did she have to pour that kind of trouble onto him when he was working? Better to wait at least until he was finished with his current project. 

“It’s alright, Kelpie, you can tell me.” Alad wasn’t going to leave it alone, so she was going to have to come up with something.

“It’s just that...I get this strange feeling from a lot of the other Warframes. Just...I don’t know, like they’re...they see me, and whisper to each other, or they give me looks, but don’t talk to me. I just wish I knew what was going on.”

Alad frowned. “That is...quite strange, yes.” He turned back to the jumbled sets of prime parts.

“What are you working on?” she asked, hoping to change the subject. She slipped out from under the workbench, her helmet back in place. 

“Oh, this is an experimental design I’ve been working on for quite a while. It’s a shotgun, or at least, I’m trying to make it a shotgun. I admit I don’t actually have much experience with building something like this.”

“You should talk to Rude Zuud.” she said. “In Fortuna. I don’t know her, but Ember told me she got her awesome gun from her, and I think Oberon has one, too.” 

“Is that so? Maybe I should go pay this Zuud a visit. We may be able to strike a deal.”

“I’ve heard she sells and puts together the parts, so it should be profitable. Maybe you’ll make friends with her.” Kelpie got to her feet, and gave Alad a hug. “Thanks for talking with me, it really helped.”

Alad returned the hug. “You know that I’m always here for you, so feel free to talk to me about anything.”

“Thanks Dad.” Kelpie released the hug, stepping away. “I want to go be alone, so I’ll be back after a while.”

Alad nodded. “Understandable. Go clear your head. Don’t worry too much, though. Everything is going to turn out fine.”

When he said it like that, she almost believed it.

Almost.


	22. Out of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie and Tyl have a little reunion

Danya was usually not more than six feet away from Tyl Regor at most times. Most times, because occasionally, she would venture off on her own, like now. This was still never far from Regor, as she was stuck to him like glue, but she liked to get out and see more of the sealab once in a while. Very rarely. Almost never.

She preferred to stay with Tyl, really.

Despite being one of the famous Tubemen of his, usually the top of Grineer soldiers, made of fresh, unrotted genes, hardy and strong, freed from the usual degradation of their kin, Danya had come out a tad...wrong. You wouldn’t notice it, not with her armor covering her, or the augment that made her right leg as long as her left, or the metal piece that ran along her back, which looked like just part of her armor, but underneath she was a bit twisted. During an incident the Warframes called “The Tubemen of Tyl Regor”, she got shaken like a cocktail and came out wrong, with a bent spine and a left leg far too short. But Tyl, or “Dagh”, as he was known to his Tubemen, was never one to throw out soldiers that came out like she did. They were not mere science projects, they were his children, and one doesn’t throw their child in the bin for looking funny. Instead he did the best he could to fix her, to augment her and have her up and running, straightening her back, lengthening her leg, training her personally, assuring she could hold her own, even if he couldn’t really send her out anywhere. 

As expected, she was very attached to him.

That being said, she did occasionally like to venture off on her own. Currently, she was just down the hallway from the room that Tyl was currently in, but it was still far away for her. Deciding that she was far enough, Danya turned around, and started to walk back. Just then, she noticed a door open that hadn’t been open before. Peering in, she saw a form sitting inside of a glassed-off area of the room, only accessible by swimming under it, then up into it. In the process of wondering how the figure got there, she realized that the form wasn’t Grineer. Not even a little bit. It actually looked closer to... _ oh no. _

__ Warframe.

Her heart stopped for a second. Despite being confined to Uranus, she could fight, and quite well, her small size giving her a boost in speed to make up for strength. But a Warframe? She’d be snapped like a twig. Stupid Warframes, even managed to overpower Dagh, though he’d given a good fight. 

It was an idiotic idea, completely idiotic. Dagh would be disappointed in her for it, he always liked how intelligent she was. But…

She really wanted to talk to this Warframe.

This one was different. It wasn’t looting or killing, just sitting in a ball against the wall, dripping water onto the floor, but harmless. This was not normal Warframe behavior, Danya was sure. Maybe this one was injured or weakened somehow. It looked like the one Dagh had fought recently...maybe she could take it down. He’d be so proud of her for that! But then, the Warframe might not be weakened, and then she’d be the one getting hurt or killed, and he wouldn’t like that at all. He always got very quiet and sad whenever one of them died. Dagh was always so good to her, how could she do that to him? She decided to go grab him, instead of trying to take on the Warframe herself. She might even get to help him in the fight.

“Dagh!” she called, running back to his side and wrapping her arms around his thigh.

Tyl looked down at her fondly. “Yes, Danya?”

“I found a Tenno, Dagh!” she said excitedly, and explained what she had seen.

He stopped short, eyes widening under the mask. “Tenno you say? Where?!”

“In that room filled with water down the hall and to the left.”

“What did it look like?” he asked hurriedly.

“Uh...had a kind of...weird nose, and these pretty flower looking things on it.”

“Kelpie…” he murmured under his breath, clenching a fist. His usual impulse to wonder what the hell she was doing here was trumped by a fiendish glee at getting the chance to see her again. His curiosity about her had been eating at him ever since their fight, and there was almost never a day that went by where he didn’t wonder what her deal was.

Now was his opportunity to find out.

“Let’s go see this lizard. Lead the way, if you would.” he told Danya, nudging her gently. She grabbed his hand and practically ran down the hall.

Reaching the room, Danya paused outside, suddenly nervous. “The Warframe is here Dagh, but…” she trailed off.

“But what, little one?” Tyl looked at her curiously.

“Oh Dagh, be careful, please!” she said, reaching her arms up and hugging him around the hips. “Please...they’re dangerous.” her voice shook.

“I promise, Dany, I will be perfectly fine. I have dealt with them before, you know.” He patted her head. 

“Do you have to? Maybe it’ll go away one its own.”

“Probably not, as Warframes are very dedicated to their jobs. But, I think that if this one was here to attack, it would have done it by now. I don’t think it came here for that.” Tyl looked down at her, noticing she wasn’t convinced. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I’ll stay far away, I promise. And besides, you’ll be here, too. I can count on you to get me out of trouble, right?”

“Oh, uh, of course Dagh! If she tries anything, I’ll show her what’s what!” she said, throwing some punches. Tyl smiled under his mask at the sight. 

“I know you will, Dany. Now let’s go see this Warframe, okay?”

“Yes, let’s go!” 

The two of them walked into the room, ready for anything. Danya was quick to point out the frame, sitting in exactly the same spot as before.

“There it is, Dagh!”

Tyl immediately recognized the form as Kelpie, confirming his suspicions. Now to confirm...everything else.

Kelpie stared at the pale tiled floor, choked with a sob she couldn’t let out. Why did she feel this way? Things weren’t  _ so bad.  _ It was just whispers, after all.   
  
Just whispers, right?

It all felt so strange, like every step was being watched by someone waiting, watching,  _ wanting  _ her to fail. Some of them probably did want her to fail, on some level. After all, what did she have to offer that no one else did? Nothing, really. Maybe she should take Saryn’s advice...find a strong enemy, and take it down all by herself. Maybe then they’d feel better about her. Maybe she’d be able to stop feeling so useless.

She couldn’t put a finger on why she had come here. Titania was Tyl Regor’s main lab. Maybe she wanted to fight him again, and win this time, or maybe it was just the water that called her. The room she was in had a huge pool of it, and it made her feel a bit better. It wrapped her in a cold, heavy embrace and held her there, suspended, far away from where her problems could reach her. There was just something about it, something that filled a void in her, pulling her away from everything else. It wasn’t a replacement for someone to talk to, but she didn’t want to burden Alad with this.

Anyone else, she didn’t trust. Who knows who was really her friend, and who was just getting dirt on her insecurities?

“Kelpie?” 

She nearly jumped out of her sword-steel skin and leapt to her feet. He had tried to keep his voice gentle, to not startle her too badly, but evidently it hadn't worked. He looked at her, pressed against a wall and shivering, and felt a stab of...pity? Yes, that was it. She looked helpless, standing there. She definitely didn’t look malicious, she wasn’t even armed. 

“I’m sorry!” she said. To him it sounded like she was trying to swallow a live fish that got stuck in her throat. “I’m sorry, please, I wasn’t here to hurt anyone, honest! I just...didn’t know where else to go…I shouldn’t have come here, I’m sorry, please just let me go and I won’t come here again! Please...let me live.”

Tyl was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to see Kelpie again, especially not alone, and in such a condition as this. This was his chance, to get answers to his questions, really find out what made this Warframe tick.

He hadn’t been this excited since Vay Hek got blown to bits.

“I wouldn't dream of it. Alad would have every Warframe he could manage out for my blood. I will admit though, I am curious myself about your presence. What made you come here?”

“I...I didn’t know where else to go, really. I just...wanted to be alone, I guess.”

“Alone? Something must have happened to make you want to leave your relay, I’m sure. I don’t know yet of any Warframe that has chosen to come here, and not try to wreak havoc.”   
  
“I…” she swallowed, trying to make herself talk. “I-it’s not that something happened...not really...maybe I’m just paranoid...maybe I’m overreacting, but-” she choked out, “whenever I walk through the relay, anywhere, I just...I feel haunted, is the best way I can put it.” 

“Really? And why is that?”

“It feels like everyone is watching me, waiting for me to fail. I’m...really nothing more than a mad science experiment of a person, anyway, so why would they expect anything more than failure?” 

“Hm.” Tyl did have some experience in dealing with failed experiments, as several of his Tubemen hadn’t come out very well in the beginning. He once again rebuilt his mental image of Kelpie. She was...not at all what she’d displayed in their battle. Of course, he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Warframes were, well,  _ people. _ All his life he’d thought them robotic. Then he learned they talked, they thought, they had friends and relationships, they cared about each other on some level. Just then, he had an idea.

“Danya, come over here, please?” Tyl waved her over.

She trotted over, sticking herself next to him protectively, and glaring at Kelpie.

“Kelpie, this is Danya. Danya, meet Kelpie.”

The two of them nodded at each other, still retaining their mutual suspicion. Tyl, if he noticed, didn’t bring it up.

“Dany got knocked around a bit during a little...incident with your colleagues, and didn’t come out quite right.”

“Oh, do you mean when they came to steal something for Dad? I know about that, a bit. Dad needed a cure for his infestation.”

“Yes, they came through, choosing to side with Alad rather than Nef and cure with my work while sabotaging the rest of it.. In the process one of them, Oberon, and I ended up in a fight while he was trying to mess with the tubes. Let’s just say he...shook her up a little-”

“He fucked me up!” she yelled, then clapped her hands over her mouth and shuffled her feet. “S-sorry. But he ruined me. He’s the reason I can’t go out and be useful with the others.” 

“You’re quite useful Dany, don’t say that.” Tyl said gently. She stared at the floor.

“You look fine to me, Danya. Except your armor color, but the pink and blue look nice.” Kelpie said. 

“That’s because Dagh fixed me. He made my augments himself.” She looked over at him proudly.

“Yes, well, you needed them.” Tyl patted her on the head. “Anyway, Kelpie, just because you seem useless, doesn’t mean you are. Look at Danya, here. She is far from perfect, and yet she can hold her own with the others.”

“Not compared to Dakik.” she muttered.

“Wait, I have a question. Did Oberon do it on purpose? That...doesn’t sound like him.”

“Whether it was purposeful or an accident is of no consequence, as what’s done is done. You might ask him that, and see what he says.”

“It’s of consequence to me, Regor.” Kelpie said quietly. “It’s just...it seems so out of character for him.”

“If you must know, yes, he did do it on purpose. I wish I had known you Warframes were malicious of your own free will sooner.” he growled, clenching a fist. Kelpie pressed herself against the wall again, and he took a deep breath. 

“He’d be very regretful if he knew what he’d done to Danya.” she said, after a few moments. 

“That’s nice of you to say, but I don’t believe it.” he said, harsher than he meant to.

“I know, you have every reason to doubt it, but I know him, and he would be.”

“Be that as it may, as whatever his reasons, the past doesn’t change.” Tyl slumped against the wall and sat next to her. "I take it your colleagues aren't thrilled with you?"

"No. Some of them are nice...and I didn't expect everyone to like me...but...I...I feel like such an outcast, a stranger. Even some of my friends give me funny looks. Everyone is measuring whether I should exist or not, and I don't get any say in the matter." 

"Stupid lizards. My siblings don't treat me like that." Danya said smugly. 

“Indeed, everyone is treated the same. I make sure of that.” Tyl said.

Kelpie shook her head and tried to hide a sniffle. "Really now?"

“Yes. I don’t play favorites, much like your Lotus. And I make sure that no one else does, either.” Tyl looked over at Danya. “Contrary to popular belief.”

"I wish the same was true for us...but Lotus can't really make anyone like someone else...and everyones very suspicious of Dad as well, even though he's changed. It's unfair, he's suffered so much and he's still struggling. That's part of why I came here. I didn't want to make his burden worse." 

Tyl took a moment to consider. “You know, Kelpie, I believe you’ve got it backwards. I believe that you’re the reason that Alad has stayed with the Tenno this long. He cares about you, that much is obvious, and the fact that he constantly goes through it just reinforces the idea. I would even go as far as to say that you’re the reason that he’s still around, and didn’t abandon the Tenno long ago.”

"Ha!" She laughed bitterly. "I wish that was true, but it's not. The reason he joined them is because he had nowhere else to go, and Lotus knew it. The Board of Directors kicked him out, Nef, Frohd Bek and their ilk were in the process of ruining him however they could. He lost body parts to the infestation, and Lotus knew how dire his straits were. She basically had him kidnapped and told him it was either her or the snow. He loves me, I know he does, but he can't leave the Tenno, or he'll be done for." She balled her hands.

Tyl sighed. “You misunderstood my meaning. No matter, I will be more clear. Think about it. If you were in his place, having gone through all that, would death not be a preferable option?”

"No. No it would not. Dad is a little crazy but not suicidal. See, his desire to spite people is stronger than his desire for death."

Tyl paused for a moment before replying. “Maybe he didn’t want to worry you.”

"Maybe, but I know him, very well." She said, voice tight. 

“And I assume that he knows you very well. But may I assume that you didn’t tell him much of anything?” 

"No. I don't want him to worry, but more than that, I don't want him to do anything stupid. If he decided to throw hands with a Warframe...they'd break him. Dad's tough as infested meat but not  _ that _ durable." 

"He is fleshy Corpus. Dagh would pound him into a tiny cube." Danya said. 

Tyl gave another, longer sigh, patting Danya on the back. “Will you not listen to yourself? You are making the very same arguments that he would make for you. I am saying that Alad has worries, fears, much the same as your own. It is you who makes his life worth living. I know this, because I have experienced the same emotions.”

"Then he'd better find something else to live for, and fast, because if things keep going this way, I'm going to be lynched soon." She said, making a noise somewhere between a laugh and the sob she was desperately trying and failing to lock in her throat. She turned to Danya.

"You are so, so lucky, you know that? You've got no idea how good you've actually got it. You're a complete fucking mess, just like me, but instead your messiness is augmented and accepted. Your family, your siblings, brothers and sisters in arms, love you and accept you. They're not waiting for you to fail so they can point and laugh. They don't question whether you should exist, whether you should still be breathing, whether you should have ever even been alive in the first place! You aren't accused of being so completely far removed from your siblings that it's seen as blasphemous to be alive! You'd better be fucking grateful for it!" After this outburst, she was left out of breath. She felt empty, like a water basin full of holes. It seemed like no matter what she did, it wasn’t the right thing to do. 

And with that, her barely maintained composure was blown to bits. 

Kelpie broke down and started crying, ugly, gasping sobs that left her breathless for a few seconds, but she just couldn't hold it back anymore. Too much feeling for one little filly.

Danya didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t been expecting the Warframe to address her directly like this, and wasn’t sure what to do. She looked to Tyl, who was once again blindsided by such a display of emotion from a Warframe. Again, he felt pity for her. She was, after all, really only a child. If his guess was right, she had been alive for less than a year. Not even a year old, and she already had to deal with so much. 

“I-I’m sorry.” she choked out between her sobs. His heart wrenched, watching her, hunched over and shaking. “I j-just...I-I don’t know how I’m going to live like this.”

She was too young to be despairing this way. 

Acting more on instinct than any rational thought, he pulled her to him, holding her close. Surprisingly, Kelpie didn’t pull away. Rather, she unfolded herself, and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. 

“It’s ok child, it’ll all be ok.” He said softly, running his hand over her back.

Interrogating her could wait.  
_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_  
_Danya, as drawn by my friend_ ᴘᴏᴏғᴇɴʙᴜʀʀɪᴇs


	23. Not a Robot, a Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyl has some flashbacks, things go back to funkytown once again.

_Most think it takes a clever man to catch a Warframe. In reality, all it took was a competent one. At least, that’s what Tyl Regor always thought. Certainly, catching this one hadn’t been hard. All it had taken was some low lying, a handful of Orokin cells and some patience, Maybe this one was desperate, or just poorly programmed. Whatever the case, she-it had a rather feminine build-was his now. Alad might have led the way in cracking them open, but to Tyl, it was time a competent scientist got their hands on one._

_So here he was, finally, holding one captive, and he definitely wouldn’t be making Alad’s mistakes. This one wasn’t getting away._

_Ever._

_He studied her, split purple, white, and gold armor gleaming softly in the low light. Her head followed his movements. It was a bit creepy, actually, how aware this mess of Orokin tech seemed. But she was nothing but circuitry and wires. It was most likely just sensors. He picked up a wicked looking scalpel, knowing he’d find out soon enough._

_“Tyl Regor!” a loud bang, followed by his name, shouted in rage. He checked her restraints before running out to see what was going on._

_Standing before him was another lizard, much different from his comrade, clad all in white and green with antlers like a stag, and wielding a brutal looking white and gold staff with a long, broad, forest green silk ribbon attached near the head of the weapon. Tyl looked around, wondering who had spoken._

_“Where is she, Regor?” the frame growled. “Where’s Equinox?!”_

_It spoke. The Warframe spoke. Even more, it spoke with emotion, rage clear in his voice. Tyl was confused; from what he understood, Warframes were nothing more than robots, albeit extremely complicated. And yet, here was one, speaking with emotions? It didn’t make sense. Unless..._

_No. It couldn’t be. Were they alive in some way?_ _  
  
_

_“Well?” he said, taking up a fighter’s stance and brandishing the staff at him. “Are you going to give her up the easy way, or do I have to throttle you to get her back?”_

_“What, did I take your girlfriend or something?” he asked, more as a prompt question than an actual taunt._

_“No, thankfully, because if you did touch her I’d have snapped your neck before you knew I was there. But Equinox is my friend, my sister in arms. You’re like Alad, you don’t know what you’re dealing with, so I’ve decided to take some mercy on you. Hand her over and I won’t break every bone you’ve got left in that rotten body of yours.”_

_“Ha! What makes you think that you’re any sort of match for me?” Tyl widened his stance, drawing his axe._

_"You're serious? A warrior infested by the Orokin to fight the Sentients, versus a half-cracked Grineer scientist?" He laughed. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”_

_Tyl paused, as this was new information for him. “Hm, indeed? Created by the Orokin? So, you are all circuits and wires after all, aren’t you? Oh, you don’t have to tell me.” He raised his axe. “I’m sure we’ll find out.”_

_“Oh please, I bet I’ve got more meat on one finger than you have in your whole decayed body, Regor.”_

_At this, Tyl took a swing at the Warframe, to gauge his reaction. The frame quickly batted it aside, spinning his staff around in a backhanded strike, which Tyl dodged, but only just. This one was fast, faster than any other he had faced before. And, he knew how to handle his weapon, which wasn’t always the case with Warframes. He would have to be careful._ _  
_ _  
_ _He jumped at Tyl, kicking off his shield and leaping high into the air to let gravity assist his strike. Tyl ducked to the side, then rolled away before turning and bringing his axe around. The frame blocked the strike on his staff, before switching his grip, and slamming the end into Tyl’s chest, throwing him down._

_“Is that the best you’ve got, you old fossil?”_

_“Why, no, it isn’t.” Tyl switched his axe to his other hand. “That was only a few preliminary strikes meant to gauge your reaction timing and weapon experience. But, as a competent fighter yourself, you must know this, thus nullifying your question.”_

_“You never know with a Grineer. They fall apart.”_

_Tyl gave a cold chuckle. “Most Grineer, yes. But not mine. And definitely not me.”_

_The frame raised his staff once more. “Fine, then.”_

_Tyl also raised his axe, waiting. It wasn’t long, as the frame decided to attack first, bringing his staff up, aimed at the space under Tyl’s chin. Tyl batted the strike away with his axe, then spun, taking a step towards the frame, and slammed his shield into his front. If the frame was winded, he showed no sign, rather opting for a new strategy. Holding his staff behind his back, he kicked upward, launching himself into the air, and flipped back, bringing the end of the staff into contact with Tyl’s head. He was knocked back, stunned. The frame spun closer, swinging the staff down behind Tyl’s guard, aimed at his neck. But it never hit._

_The staff stopped an inch from his neck, before the frame swung it back. Tyl was confused._

_“Why spare me?”_

_“Oberon!” Tyl looked up to see the other Warframe, Equinox, waving at him from the balcony, the restraints jingling on her arms._

_“Equinox! You’re ok?”_

_“Oh course I am.” she said. “These things must be about 20 years old. They didn’t hold me for more than five minutes.” she said. Even Tyl had to admit, those restraints were...quite old. She stood, proud and elegant as she faced the two of them._

_“Well you took your sweet ass time getting loose.” the male-Oberon-said, his voice in a joking tone._

_“I only have so many fingers, Oberon. Give me a break.”_

_Tyl rounded on her._

_“No, what you’re getting, is_ back in my lab _!” He pointed, furious. Equinox took a step back._

_“I don’t think so, Dr. Upside-down Face. If you think I’m going to let myself end up like Valkyr, or worse, then you’re delusional. No way I’d ever want that kind of torture.”_

_Oberon spoke up. “Besides, Regor, you’re outmatched. Are you sure you want to take on two Warframes, especially after you were beaten by just one?”_

_“You call one knockback beaten? Well, someone’s confident.”_

_“I could have killed you, and I didn’t. Don’t mistake my self-control as having the inability to do what needs to be done, Regor.” Oberon turned away, sprinting for the door with Equinox._

_Tyl let them go. He wasn’t sure why he did, but something in him compelled him. Maybe it was knowing that, on some level, they lived. Like him, they lived, breathed, cared for their comrades, helped each other. Whatever the Warframes were, they were no mere Orokin robots._

_Not even close._

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _  
_ _“Do we have to help Alad?” Valkyr asked for the umpteenth time as the four Warframes raced down the hall._

_“Yes, Valkyr. I know you hate him, but would you really rather help Nef instead?_ Nef Anyo? _Really?” Oberon asked. She looked away._

_“No.”_

_“Good.”_ _  
  
_

_They came to a stop at a branch, one hall going left, the other right._

_“I’ll fuck with the tubes. Valkyr, Loki, Excalibur, go grab Alad’s cure.”_

_The group split up, running their separate ways. Oberon ran left, away from the others. Although he didn’t know where the tubes were, it would be helpful if they weren’t seen together, as it would give the mission a much higher chance of succeeding. Turning right, kicking in a fake looking wall and jumping down a long elevator shaft led him to a locked door, which was hacked and opened. Inside was what he had been looking for._

_Tubes._

_Tons of them, all lined up, and containing Tyl Regor’s work. Furthermore, they were bigger than he had thought. It would take a lot more effort to mess them up than he had imagined. But, he had a job, and a toxin. He would find a way._

_He worked his way around, studying the Grineer forming within. Rounding another corner, he froze._

_“Well well well, look who it is.” his voice made Oberon shiver._

_“Long time no see, eh? So this is what you’ve been doing in your spare time.” he said, planting a foot on one of the tubes. Tyl glowered at him._

_“Spare me your false pleasantries, who are you with, the bottom feeder or the jellyfish? I know they’re both gunning to profit off my back.”_

_“I’m not here for them, I’m here for your little, uh, hobby, let’s call it. I have to say, very impressive.” he kicked the tube his hoof was resting on, making it rock and shake._ _  
_ _  
__“Stop that! You don’t know what you’re doing!”_

_“What? It’s just another one of your stupid tubes where you grow your plague. Why must you make things worse for the System than they already are, Regor?”_

_Tyl raised his axe. “Why must you assume that_ I’m _the one always making things worse? It’s you and your comrades who are messing with the balance. Now leave my tubes alone, or you will pay.”_

_He kicked the tube again, harder. “Us?_ Us? _How about you Grineer and your rampant xenophobia towards everything not you? What about that? You’re like a slightly more intelligent infested! You’re a load of parasites, all of you!”_

_At this, Tyl lost it, and charged the Warframe. Oberon had been trying to get Regor to lose his temper, and was ready. He easily blocked and deflected his blows, causing Tyl to get even angrier.. Their battle raged, and as they fought Oberon made a point to keep kicking the tube he had been resting on, jostling it’s contents._

_“You've lost your edge since our last fight, Regor!” Oberon taunted._

_“And somehow, you’ve become even more infuriating! At the very least, stop kicking the tubes!”_

_“You’ve got a million of these things, what’s the big deal?” he said flippantly, landing another blow on it. This time, small cracks spiderwebbed across the already ridiculously heavy duty glass. Tyl’s heart jumped into his throat. Of course, Oberon didn’t actually care about the tube, he was just trying to push Tyl’s buttons, and oh boy was it working like a charm._

_He decided that it was now or never. To either be rid of this lizard, or lose the contents of that tube. He would do whatever it took to not let that happen._

_“Come on Tyl, come defend your precious little tube monster.” Oberon said, kicking it again. Suddenly, he ducked as Tyl’s shield flew over his head. As he got back up, he stepped right into the path of Tyl’s swinging axe, and was knocked down. He was back on his feet quick as lightning, staff clutched in hand, just in time to block his next blow._

_They fought fiercely, pulling out every dirty trick they could, from tripping to crotch shots. Oberon was getting impatient, and finally, out of a desire to just end their fight, hefted the cracked tube and lifted it over his head._

_Tyl froze. He didn’t dare do anything now. Oberon had all the power, had it resting on his palms. Tyl had no doubt what he would do next. And Oberon didn’t disappoint._ _  
_ _  
_ _The tube crashed to the floor with the sickening sound of breaking glass. The body inside slumped against the ground as the synthetic amniotic fluid flowed over the metal and their feet, still connected to the inside of it by the hoses attached to its -her- face._

_Tyl lost all semblance of anything but rage. Leaving his axe and shield, he charged forward, hitting Oberon square in the chest. Although he had been braced and ready, Oberon was sent flying, landing dazed on his back. While he was down, Tyl extracted the large vial off him and crushed it, sending the poisonous liquid flowing over the floor._

_“Oberon!” came a cry from the doorway. Excalibur was standing there, Valkyr and Loki behind him, weapons drawn. Oberon didn’t have a visible face, but he swore that the Warframe looked smug. He wriggled free of his grip and sprinted to the door to his allies, and in a flash of Excalibur’s Radial Blind they were gone._

_Tyl knelt beside the small body under the shattered tube. Putting a finger to her chest...no...could it be...yes! She was still alive, somehow. He could save her! He_ would _save her. He owed her that. Lifting his mask, he wiped his eyes with cold steel digits and replaced it. There was work to be done, and no time for tears._

_He learned two things that day.The first, that the Warframes, like all living things, were capable of kindness and cruelty in turn, depending on who they were interacting with. The second?_

_He hoped he never saw one again._


	24. Anatomy Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie and Tyl have a long talk, insert happy demon water horse noises here

“So, how’s the water?” Tyl asked Kelpie, watching her glide through it as effortlessly as a bird soars. 

“Comforting,” she said, after a moment’s pause.

“Is it?” Tyl was surprised. Most Warframes went to great lengths to avoid water in large amounts, and yet, here was one not only in the water, but enjoying it. 

“I can’t explain it, really. I’ve just always felt this...attraction towards water, and I mean, I can swim and I have the webbing, so why not?” she said, swimming in a lazy circle with her head above the glassy surface. 

“I can’t help but wonder why you feel drawn to water, instead of the opposite.” 

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the Helminth. I didn’t feel that way before I became a Warframe.” 

“Very interesting.” Tyl had never really met someone who remembered their time before being a Warframe. “You remember that?” 

“Yeah, I do. Most of the others don’t, although I know four that remember something. Umbra, Hydroid, Harrow, and Khora. Umbra got screwed over big time, Hydroid had a daughter, and Harrow and Khora were married.”    
  


“Indeed? I wonder…” 

“What?” Kelpie looked over at him.

“Oh, just the science of a Warframe. How one is made, et cetera.”

“Why are you wondering about that?” Kelpie asked, carefully.

“Well, let me put it like this. You’re the first Warframe to be made in who knows how long, made by an ex Corpus scientist, not an Orokin, when all the Orokin are dead. If that wasn’t enough, you’re very odd for a Warframe.”

“I know I’m odd, I don’t need to be reminded. And besides, I wasn’t told how I was made, at least the specifics, only the why. It would probably go right over my head anyway.”

“Well, what was the summary of it then?” 

“Basically I'm a genetic cocktail of a few different Warframes, Dad grew me in the tube he stole from you, then infected me with Helminth, and here I am.”

“Hm.” Tyl thought for a moment. “There is a hole in that story. How were you conceived?” he asked, sounding puzzled.

“I...I don’t know that, Dad never told me. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about that.” 

“Doesn’t he? Strange.” 

“I don’t know why he won’t, but every time I ask, he just goes all quiet. He looks...guilty, almost.”

Tyl frowned, a reason forming in the back of his mind, but there was too little to go on to be sure. 

“So...how is his relationship with Valkyr?” he asked, testing his idea.

“They’re actually pretty good friends now. I don’t really know her that well, but I’d like to. She’s kind of scary, but really tough and strong.” 

“Quite a glowing review.” he replied, thinking hard. Alad felt guilty over Kelpie’s conception, which meant she must have come into this world in some less than presentable way. Since even he knew that you can’t just make a baby out of some random Warframe DNA, he must have at the very least had an egg of some sort. He also ripped up Valkyr. Could he have taken them from her? Would they have even been viable, if her insides were even slightly recognizable as human? It would make sense, paired with Alad’s guilt, and a desire to maintain friendship with a dangerous Warframe, who may or may not have a vendetta.

Or he could be throwing darts at a map. Only Alad knew. Damn jellyfish.

A loud splash snapped him back to reality.

“I didn’t know you could swim Dany.” Kelpie said, watching the little Tubeman bob like a cork in the warm water.

“Only Dagh and Dakik can call me that, but yes, I can. We all can, since it’s, you know, a sealab. With a lot of water.” 

“Well, it makes sense when you put it that way.” she looked up slyly at Tyl. “So that means you can swim, eh? I’d like to see that.” 

Tyl chuckled. “I’ll bet you would. But it won’t happen, at least, not right now, and I don’t swim as well as I used to when I still had my arms and legs.”   
  
“How did you lose them?” she questioned.

“Lizard! You can’t just ask somebody that, it’s rude!” Danya said, splashing her.    
  


Kelpie giggled, splashing her back. “Not a very good countermeasure.”   
  
“Dany, be nice. I lost them in the usual Grineer fashion, degradation. Although if I’m being honest, these are better.” 

“Then, you should be able to swim without a problem, if those are better, right?” Kelpie said sarcastically. “But seriously, I can see that. Although the swivel wrists might be a bit much.”

“And not the ability to launch them and punch a Warframe through a metal wall?” 

“Well I didn’t know you could do that, now did I? That's awesome!”

“That’s what I thought.” Tyl laughed.

Kelpie swam in silence for a while, feeling the water envelope her as she slid through it. Though it wasn’t long before Tyl asked another question.

“How is Alad anyway? I haven’t talked to him since he stole my tube.”

“Dad is...well he’s hanging in there, still getting used to his prosthetics and all that, and having to become a professional geneticist and cloning specialist practically overnight.”

“Has he said anything about me? And what prosthetics? When did he lose limbs?”

“Uh, yes. He doesn’t like you all that much. He doesn’t hate you as much as he hates Nef Anyo or Frohd Bek but he definitely dislikes you. And yes, he lost two and a half limbs to his infestation, left arm and leg, and the right leg up to the knee. One more arm and he'd be like you.” she laughed.

“And he put all that effort into trying to cure himself off of my research. Figures.”

“Well, he did cure himself, it’s just those parts were too badly Infested to be saved.” she shivered. “It’s an awful fate. I’m glad he escaped with his life.” 

“Indeed, it is.” Tyl said quietly. 

“It’s alright if you don’t quite agree with that. Dad is, admittedly, kind of good at making enemies. He got Ergo Glast to hate him in his first week with the Tenno.”

“Did he, now? I can’t say that I find that surprising.” 

“Nope. He’s not a fan of other Corpus, even ones like Ergo, who admittedly is a bit of a smug prick. He doesn’t like reminders.”

“Wait, so that means he’s officially left the Corpus then? Not just working with them?” Regor’s eyes widened under his mask. “Well, this is an interesting development.”

“Yeah, he made it official after he had me. Or, made me, rather. Called a meeting with his ex colleagues and made the announcement. They were  _ pissed  _ about it, but Dad was sick of being strung along then shot in the one knee he still had.” 

“That’s fair enough, I suppose. I’ve had to jump through plenty of hoops for the Queens.”

“Even you?” she asked, cocking her head to one side. “Isn’t your work...critical to them? I mean, if they started making more Tubemen, they’d be more successful for sure.” 

Tyl looked sideways at her. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t know much about politics.” He took a deep breath. “If not for Vay Hek’s failings, the Queens wouldn’t be using my Tubemen at all.” He gave her a conspiratorial look. “Although if I’m being honest, I don’t mind too much. I like having them close, and knowing what jobs they’re being sent to.”

“You make it sound like the Queens don’t like the Tubemen. They’re lucky to have a good dad like you.”

“Well, let’s just say I have a feeling at least one of them is less concerned about the degradation than she should be. But she’s barely hanging on by a thread after your friend Excalibur came in and did his thing. She might not be a thorn in my side for much longer. And thank you, I try.”

“You are the best! I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.” Danya interjected, jumping out of the water and giving him a tight hug. “I wasn’t lucky enough to come out perfectly like Dakik…”

“Who’s that?” Kelpie asked finally, having heard him mentioned before.

“My partner. Dagh put me with him because he’s so perfect he makes up for my deficiencies.”

“I put him with you because I knew he’d be the best suited to helping you, Dany.

“I don’t need help!” Danya pouted, stomping a foot. “I can fight too, you know I can.”

“Dany I paired  _ everyone  _ up, not just you. Besides that, Dakik doesn’t carry you in missions, you’ve told me this yourself.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, you only have one teammate, I have three and I don’t do nearly as well.” Kelpie said, reaching up and patting her on the shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn’t shy away.

They sat in silence for a while, Tyl studying Kelpie’s movements in the water. She was so comfortable in it. As far as he knew, his fight with her had been her first time in it, and yet here she was, like a beautiful oversized fish, swimming effortlessly. He flexed three fingers on his left hand, another question coming to mind.   
  
“Can I see your mouth?” he asked.

“Can I ask why?” Kelpie asked, embarrassed.

“I would like to see the kind of mouth that bit me, is all. You took off three of my fingers.”

“Oh, alright.” she said, hinging open her maw so he could take a look. The gross looking membranes at the corner stretched taut as it was opened, revealing a mouthful of long, curved and slightly blood stained teeth and a hyperactive red tongue that seemed a bit too lengthy to fit in her mouth as neatly as it did. 

Tyl was fascinated. A Warframe with such a blatantly biological component, even if it was hidden, was unheard of. He couldn’t help but think of all the possibilities a maw like that created, if Kelpie could grow to be more comfortable with it.

“May I?” he asked, reaching out a hand. She nodded and swam closer. Gently, warily, he ran his fingers over her teeth and jaws, squeezing her muzzle to try and feel how everything connected. A closer look in her mouth revealed a wet interior and pink gums. She ran her tongue involuntarily over his digits the whole while, and he eventually held that as well, pinching it gently to feel the muscle. It was a very dexterous thing, thick, fleshy, prehensile and able to grab things, and barbed on the sides like a waterfowl. 

“Your mouth is very unique. I’ve never seen one like it.”

“Well I’m the only Warframe with a mouth like this. I’d hope you’d never seen something this creepy.”

“It’s not creepy. You have some very unique biology.” 

“Did you figure that out before or after I slobbered all over your hand?”

“Figured it out when you bit me, actually.”

“Who knew that the scientist who created the Tubemen was so clever?”

“Yes yes, I’m brilliant, I know. Could you show me your foot, please?” 

She held up a hoof out of water, floating at an awkward angle so he could take it in his metal fingers and inspect it. The Helminth was truly something. There was no way she had normal bones under that steel skin of hers. He felt her leg up for the muscle connections, and was particularly confused and enamored with the weird finger-toes that held her webbing, starting a bit above her ankles, almost like a pair of dewclaws, and ending in a pair of hooked, talon-like nails. The webbing itself, despite being quite thick, turned out to be very stretchy. 

"You were made to be quite durable. No wonder you held up against me throwing you into every wall I had access to."

“It still hurt, though. I had bruises for days.”

"Good to know I managed to do something."

She dove down and did a few flips underwater before coming back up, jumping out and sitting next to him, her feet dangling in the water.

"I really should thank you."

“Oh? Why is that?”

"You've been so nice to me, to this random Warframe who attacked you. You let me swim for the second time in my life, and you let me cry like a little bitch against your chest. I guess...it was nice to have someone that would just listen without me feeling like I was burdening them in some way.”

“Well, you obviously didn’t come here to attack me this time, so I appreciate that. And besides, just because others think that you’re a burden, doesn’t make it so. Those who think you are, they are not valuable to you, and you shouldn’t waste time worrying about what they think. You should value yourself, and not rely on others to do that for you.”

“Easier said than done.”

Tyl took a deep breath. “Indeed. But once you achieve that, you will see what I mean. That being said, it can be important to have a good support structure around you, so you can fall on them without losing yourself.”

“Where do you get all this stuff Regor? I mean...how are you so encouraging? It’s a far cry from how you were in our fight.” 

He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “I wasn’t always like this. I used to be much more hot-headed, and was much more willing to fight. What happened was, I got old. I’m much older than I look, definitely older than I feel. The fights got repetitive, unfulfilling. My perspective began to shift, and although I still fight to protect what I’ve built, I no longer find the satisfaction in it that I used to. And I suppose raising my Tubemen helped matters. When they come out of those tubes they’re basically newborns.”

“I can understand that, at least. My birth was Dad pulling me out of a tube small enough that he could keep it on his desk.”

“I imagine that those times must have been difficult for him, having never done it before. It was hard for me, at least at first, to understand what I needed to be doing.”

“It’s a wonder I’m not a bigger mess.” Kelpie sighed. “It’s a wonder I even managed to become a living thing in the first place, now that I think about it.”

Tyl patted her on the back. “I’m sure you would have come out worse, had Alad not been as smart as he is. And besides, you were born out of one of my tubes, so you had that going for you as well.”

She laughed. “What, do your tubes contain the essence of your scientific prowess?” 

“No, but they are the best tubes you could possibly use. After Oberon...visited, I made sure that the tubes were much more durable, and much heavier.”

She shook her head in a very horselike fashion. “That was...a good move, yes. I still can’t quite comprehend why Oberon would do something so unnecessarily cruel. He’s not like that.”

“Well, he did do it, no matter the why. What happened is in the past now, and more importantly, he failed in his goal with it, and that’s what matters most.” He looked over at Danya, who was peering out the door and down the halls, ignoring them both.

“I’m still going to ask him when I go back.” 

“When you go back?”

“Oh! Right, I never asked...sorry.”

“Asked me what, exactly?” Tyl looked sideways at her.

“Well...if I could stick around for a while.” 

Tyl was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Kelpie to be this easy to talk to, much less to stay. 

“Are you sure you want to? There are other places you could go, better looking, more hospitable, things like that.”

“I know...but…”

“But,” Tyl said, looking straight at her. “It isn’t about that, is it?”

“No. I’d just...I don’t want to go back, not for a while. I’d like to stay with you.”

“I understand. You may stay here as long as you like, as long as you don’t interfere with any of my experiments.”

“T-thank you. I won’t, I promise. And hey, this place has tons of water, I’ll be able to swim more!”

“Don’t you frames go to Earth a lot? That planet is 70% water, and it’s oceans are remarkably beautiful.”   
  
“Oh, Cetus, yes, well, uh...I’ve never actually gone there. Too many...people.”

“Humans or Warframes?”

“Both.”

“Maybe I'll take you sometime then, if you’d like.” he offered.

Kelpie couldn’t contain her excitement. “You’d do that?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Well…” Kelpie still wasn’t sure. “If it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

“Not at all. I find it hard to believe you haven’t yet seen the ocean.”

“Yeah, so am I, but Dad’s really busy, and I never wanted to bug him for something so small.”

“Well, whatever the case, I’ll make sure you get to experience it.”

She nodded her gratitude and seemed to relax for the first time since they’d met.


	25. Gunsmith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alad begins his transformation into a Shotgun Dad, Ivara gets smashed offscreen, Zuud gets to be sassy, everybody wins.

“I know I’ve been repeating myself, but I just want to make sure. Please, for the love of the Lotus don’t fuck up anything in Fortuna, please. Be polite to everyone, especially Eudico, don’t say anything about Zuud’s...condition, and above all else don’t make it obvious that you’re there or Nef Anyo will be on you faster than a condroc on a week old corpse.”

“Oberon you do realize I’m an adult right?”

“I do realize that, believe it or not. I’m just trying to make sure that you don’t mess anything up.”

“I’m flattered at your confidence in me, I really am.” Alad said drily.

Oberon took a deep breath. “Look, just because you’re one of the top scientists in the system doesn’t mean that you know what’s going on in this little corner of the planet. You need to step lightly, or Nef Anyo could bring down the whole of his army on our heads.”

“Yes, I am fully aware.” 

“Good.” Oberon turned his attention towards Fortuna. As usual, there were plenty of workers about, as well as civilians looking for work.    
  
“It’s like being slapped in the face with a servofish.” Alad muttered, looking around and feeling incredibly awkward. 

“Why’s that?” Oberon asked.   
  
“Well one, because everyone here most likely hates me on some level, not without a good reason, but still, and two, a lot of memories.”

“Memories? You’ve been here before?” 

“Yep. A long, long time ago. I told Valkyr the short version of it back when she kept wrecking my stuff. To summarize, I lived here when I was much younger.”

“That must have been hard. This is a very unforgiving place.” Oberon patted him on the shoulder.

“Thanks, but I made it just fine. Didn’t even have any debt, I was just...there.”

“Well, you made it out alive. Do you remember anyone from that time?”

“No. Well, I didn’t really have anyone, until I met Kalo, who for the longest time was my only friend.” 

“You were friends with Nef’s older brother? What was that like?”

“I still am, and he saved my life twice. Once when Valkyr shredded me, and after my Infestation he gave me my prosthetics. It’s...well, I’m pretty sure part of the reason he’s friends with me just to spite Nef, but I can’t say I’m any better, so what are you gonna do?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna go find and talk to Eudico, before we do anything else.”

“Why?”

“So you don’t get shot before taking three steps, come on man.”

“Oh. I suppose that wouldn’t be a good start to our outing, now would it?”

Eudico wasn’t hard to spot. Sitting near the elevator, she was handing out jobs to other workers, her massive gun always by her side. Alad whistled appreciatively.

“Damn, that thing’s gorgeous.”

“I know, that gun is wild. I’ve tried to get her to shoot it but she never agreed.” 

“I don’t blame her. That thing must be able to blast a whole in the wall, let alone what it would do to a person.”

“Well, let’s go talk to her.”

“Oh, boy, here we go,” Alad murmured to himself.

Oberon walked up to Eudico, pushing his way through the small crowd. Alad, following close behind, wondered if she would just shoot him and be done with it. He wouldn’t blame her. 

“Hello Eudico!” Oberon said cheerfully, waving. She gave him as warm a look as she could a robotic head and waves back. 

“Sparky! What are you doing in our little corner of civilization? And who’s this you brought with ya?”

“Brought a new friend, I’ve, uh, gotta talk to you about him.” 

“Really?” She gave Alad a long look, hefting her large gun. “Why’d you bring ‘im here?”

“He just wants to talk to Zuud is all, no trouble.”

Eudico got off her perch and hefted her gun, getting close enough to Alad that he felt the need to take a few steps back.

“Is that the truth, Alad? Or are ya just hoping ta sneak in and steal what we worked so hard for? Cause there ain’t a mucker here what likes ya, and I’d hate to have to do a little, ehm,  _ enforcement _ .”

“No, it’s true, I swear it. I’m not...with the Corpus anymore.”

“So, they finally kicked ya out. They were bound to get sick of ya sooner or later.”

“ _ No,  _ I quit on my own, thank you very much.” he said, grinding his teeth.

She turned to Oberon. “How desperate was the Lotus when she picked ‘im up?”

“Uh...well I don’t think she was desperate per say. Crazy, yes, desperate, no. But he’s proven himself, I think.” 

“I didn’t eat Infested while being stuck in that hellpit for ten days just to be relegated to the Lotus’s crazy side project.” Alad crossed his arms.

“You’ve got no shortage of mouth on ya, that’s for sure,” Eudico said, glaring at him.

“Please don’t take it personally, he’s a dick to practically everyone.” 

“Figures.” She shook her head.

After some consideration, Eudico finally reached a conclusion.

“Alright, you can stay. But, if I see or hear anything about you goin’ out of line, I will not hesitate to exact justice. Am I clear?”

“Yes, crystal, please refrain from killing me.”

“We’ll see, mucker. We’ll see.”

Free to wander the deck, Oberon led Alad straight to Zuud. 

“One thing you should know about her before you two meet, she uh, well, she talks to voices she hears in her head.”

“She what now?” 

“She hears voices in her head, and talks to them.”

“How...why? How does that happen?"

"Something to do with the loss of her sisters during the Deck 12 incident. That's the most I was able to piece together."

“Ah yes, the Deck 12 incident, that thing that everyone refuses to talk about.”

“Well, it didn’t do anything good for anyone here. Some still have PTSD from what happened.”

“I can’t say anything snarky about that, let’s just go see this Zuud before I lose my nerve and before Ivara gets impatient. What are you two meeting up for anyway?” he asked as they walked.   
  
“Uh...couple stuff, you wouldn’t get it.” 

“Right, of course. Nothing to talk about, that’s for sure.”

Oberon pointed Zuud out to Alad. As usual, she was surrounded by workers and frames alike, with different components and guns on display. She was wearing her usual outfit; worker’s hat, with khaki overcoat and pants. Also per usual, she was spouting chatter, saying what seemed to be whatever came to mind.

“Be nice to her, or I will personally break the one arm you have left.”

“I know, I know, don’t worry about it.” he huffed.

The pair walked up to her, Zuud immediately recognizing Oberon.

“Well, looky what we have here. Long time no see, Antlers. How’s Ixoria treating you?” She said cheerfully, asking after the gun he’d made with her some time before.

“She works like a charm, still busting through Grineer skulls like paper. ”

“Aye, good to hear.”

“As if there was ever a doubt to your work quality.” he said warmly. 

“What brings you here? Somehow I don’t think it’s a social call.” 

"That is correct. While I'd love to stay and chat, I'm here on some important business with Ivara and I'm just here to acquaint you with a friend of mine who wants to build a gun."

“Really? Who’s this, then?”

"Have you heard of Alad V, by any chance?"

“I have heard about him, to say the least. There might be people that get, or well, used to get along with him, but I couldn't count myself as one of those.”

“I hope you might be willing to change your mind about that. It’s hard to believe, but he has gotten better.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, matey.” she said, getting just a bit too close to Alad for comfort, despite him being taller. He cleared his throat, which felt like it was full of dirty snow. He looked to Oberon, who gave hima thumbs up before exiting so he didn’t have to witness the awkward, and presumably to pound Ivara. Bastard.

“Right, you probably already know me, idiot who got himself infested, bio-engineer, Corpus mad scientist, or well, former Corpus mad scientist, I’ve kind of kicked myself out of that little group and became a willing... partner of the Lotus At least I do think we get along fairly well, she hasn't told the Tenno to rip my eyes out of their sockets and use them to play fetch with their pets yet, so that has to mean she doesn't dislike me and I can appreciate that." 

Zuud said nothing, just continued to glare at him like a mildly interesting piece of roadkill.   
  


“I’ve heard a lot about your skill with making guns, and since I have a similar-well, the same goal-”

"The same goal of making you a can-popper, a corridor sweeper, a pellet sprayer, a fancy little gun you could use as you please? Is this why you are trying so hard to either swoon me or appear more likable to me and my fellowship?"

“That isn’t what I was trying to ask-” he started, with her cutting him off.

"I will make it very clear just in case you forgot to wash your ears before coming here, Alad V: I do not trust you, neither do my comrades right there, and neither does anyone in at least a ten-mile radius. Your little attempts to appear more friendly? Scrap them already, they won't serve you here at all. Although...I suppose since you're a friend's friend, and the Lotus thinks you’re worth something...I can give it a glimpse of a chance. Spew it out, quickly, what did you have in mind, what did you exactly want from me?”

Alad took a deep breath, trying to get a handle on himself. He knew people wouldn’t like him. He  _ expected  _ nobody to like him here, but it still felt like a slap in the face to be taking it from a complete stranger, especially after all he’d been through. Still he wasn’t the type to complain about emotional cuts, so he wrestled it back.

“What I want from you is your help. I’ve built a lot of things, a robot made of stray Warframe parts, an actual Warframe, but gunsmithing seems to be a skill that constantly eludes me. Oh sure, I can bioengineer an entire fucking person with nothing but some blood, loose eggs, and Helminth but I can’t make what is nothing more than a glorified pea-shooter. You however, can.”

“Slow down there mate. You...you made a  _ what? _ ” she asked in disbelief.

_ Now who’s the one who needs to wash her ears?  _ He thought smugly. 

“I made a Warframe. Her name is Kelpie, and she is probably the closest thing I’ll ever have to a 

real daughter.”

“I’ll hand it to you, that’s more than I expected out of you.” 

“Thanks.” he said drily. “That’s what everyone else said. Unfortunately it’s not being taken so well. That’s where the gun comes in. If push comes to shove...let’s just say I want some backup, because let me tell you, if one of those overgrown tin-cans does  _ anything  _ to my daughter I’d like to, at the very least, have the ability to blow whatever brain they have out the back of their skull.”

Zuud was quiet for a moment. Chatter seemed very willing to give Alad a shot. Her, not so much. But...she had to admit, this was a very different Alad. This wasn’t the madman who dissected Warframes and worked with the Infested. This was a father fearing for his child, as unbelievable a child she may be. There was a look in his eyes, genuine fear, presumably for Kelpie. It wasn’t upfront, in the background but still showing subtly. 

“I can do almost nothing for her, nothing to help her with this. I don’t have the power to counter anything they do to her. If I had that, if I just had some way I could threaten them. They’re not immortal, and I’m not going to act like they are.” he continued, ranting. “She’s everything to me, and I won’t just sit by and let her hurt like this.” 

Zuud was torn. On the one hand, she agreed with Alad, in that Warframes weren’t always the most honorable and benevolent creatures. On the other, however...this was Alad V, a person that she wasn’t eager to do anything for. Chatter wasn’t helping, either. After a moment’s deliberation, she came to a conclusion. 

“Alright, mucker, look here. I can help you build a gun, if you are willing to provide the components. But, make one wrong move towards anybody here, and I’ll reduce you to nothing more than dust faster than you can blink. Roger?”

“Fair enough.” Although Alad sounded calm, inside he was nervous. He didn’t want to make a mistake, and give her a reason to shoot him. He didn’t doubt that she would, and so he’d have to be very careful around her.

“Now that that matter is settled, what kind of gun are you looking to build?” 

He pulled out some folded blueprints from his coat and showed them to her. “It’s a custom shotgun, basically an amalgamation of different prime pieces, or at least, partially. Some of it will probably have to be completely original.”

“Why do you do these things?”

“Because if I’m going to make something with the punch to blow through a Warframe, I might as well go to the wrist in it.”

“Oh, I’m not mad. This monstrosity might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“...Seriously?” he questioned, trying to not sound  _ too  _ hopeful.

“Yeah. I mean, it definitely has flaws, but we’ll work those out in the long run. Let’s build this beast.”

It was about time his luck changed.


	26. Before the Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubeman, big snek, face licking. It makes sense in context.

It had been about a week and a half since Kelpie came to Titania. Thinking about it, it was strange to her that she seemed to be more welcome here than among her own people. She hadn’t realized how stressed she was until she actually spent some time away from them. It was surreal.

Most of her time was spent watching Tyl work. The way his hands moved as he put experiments together was mesmerising. She also spent some time with Danya, who kept asking to see her perform tricks in the water. Kelpie was happy to oblige, doing them with relative ease. It was, admittedly, a bit odd, but she was happy Dany finally seemed to be warming up to her. 

Aside from Danya, Kelpie became acquainted with many of the other Tubemen who hung around Titania, but one stood out the most to her, the acclaimed Dakik, who was Danya’s complete opposite. While she was shorter than most Tubemen, he stood a good head taller than all of them, coming up to Tyl’s midsection, clad in white and red, wielding a Jat Kittag and a much nicer personality than she would’ve expected from Tyl’s supposed most perfect Tubeman. While he was much more serious than Danya, he wasn’t a hardass like Umbra, with a cheerful demeanor and a surprising talent for listening, just like his Dagh. Sometimes just listening was enough.

Kelpie stood on the only outdoor portion of the sealab, staring up at the deep blue cloudy skies of Uranus, lost in thought. So lost in fact that she didn’t notice him come up and stand next to her for about five minutes.

When she finally looked around, she saw him, letting out a startled neigh. “What are you doing out here?”

“I just came out to look at the sky, like you. It’s beautiful today, isn’t it?”

“Well...it looks the same as it does everyday, but maybe I haven't been here long enough to see the subtleties. That, and I’m dense as a brick.”

“Well, it doesn’t really change all that much, if I’m honest. I like it better at night, when the stars are out.”

“You can see them through all the clouds and mist?”

“Sometimes. Not all nights are cloudy here.”

They stood in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. 

“I’ve got a question for you, Dakik.” she finally said, breaking the silence.

“What is it?” He turned to face her.

“Do you feel any kind of pressure at all? I mean...your siblings practically worship you as the perfect specimen. Does that not get grating? Or is it just me?” 

Dakik took a deep breath. “I’d be lying if I said that it never got to me. But the thing is, I’ve made mistakes. Even if nobody knows about it, I know it happened. I can’t reasonably expect myself to be perfect, no one can. If they did, they’d just be setting themselves up for disappointment.”

“Damn, I wish I had such a rational mindset.” she laughed, shaking her head. “I’m here because I’m trying to avoid my comrades for a similar reason. Or maybe not, as while everyone looks up to you, they look down on me.” 

“Is it them looking down on you, or is it you looking down on yourself because of something someone said, and now you can’t see past that?”

“Maybe both. Probably both. Definitely both.” 

“Look, just because others look down on you, doesn’t mean you have to as well. You have to mean something to yourself, you have to have your own self-worth, especially when you don’t matter to others. If you don’t give yourself a chance, no one else will, either.”

“I don’t know about that. I mean, I’ve given myself chances, and so far I’ve nearly been killed by your dad, nearly got my ass kicked by Vay Hek, then ran away.” 

“Don’t give up trying. Just because it didn’t work last time is no reason to just let it go. It’s alright to fail, but it isn’t alright to not try. If you give it a shot, and it doesn’t work out, that means you tried. But if you don’t even put yourself out there, you’ve already given up.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you sound a lot like Tyl? Because you sound a lot like Tyl.”

Dakik laughed. “I suppose that it’s a side effect of being around him so much.”

“You’re lucky to have him.” 

“Thank you, I think so, myself.”

“He’s much nicer than I would’ve thought. I...hate to ask this, I really do, especially since he’s been so gracious to me, far more than I deserve but...why is he being so nice to me? So quickly? I mean, maybe in time it would’ve been more reasonable, but it seems he warmed to me too quickly. Especially since he really hates Warframes from what I’ve been told.” 

There was a long pause before he replied. “Well, it’s more than one thing, if I’m honest. First, he felt very sorry for you when you broke down in front of him. He really took that to heart. Second, everything he thought he knew about Warframes has recently been turned upside down, and he is now curious to learn as much as he can. He really applies his science to nearly everything.”

“One downside of having a father who’s a massive nerd.” Kelpie said, snickering. Dakik grinned under his mask.

“Yeah, that. And...well...er, he doesn’t find you...all that...threatening.”

“Well, he kicked my ass pretty easily, I don’t blame him.” 

“Huh, I expected you to be more offended by that.”

“Can't be, it’s true.”

“Well...alright.”

“There’s one more thing…” she said quietly, looking down into the swirling waves.

“What is it?” he asked, looking at her.

“Well...did Tyl ever find Manic bones recently?”

“He did. Why, do you know something about it?”

“...Yes. This’ll probably make you hate me, but I can’t keep quiet about this anymore.”

“It was you, wasn’t it? You ate him. Dagh had his suspicions, but it was never confirmed.”

“Y-yes. I’m sorry, so fucking sorry for it. I just…”

“Why did you do it? Did that specific Manic anger you in some way?”

“No! No, not that. I...starving…” she turned away. 

“You were starving? Hold on, you  _ eat _ ?”

“Yes, yes I need to eat. Flesh. I don’t know why, but I have a mouth and my body makes me consume. I don’t know why, Dad doesn’t know why, but I do. I...was planning on eating a corpse, but I wanted to put some distance between me and my teammates first, just so nobody found out...and then I found him...I’d gone without eating for six days straight, and I couldn’t control myself, especially since I prefer to kill it myself...and now...I regret it. I should have just eaten a body like I planned. Now that I know how much Tyl values you Tubemen I just...I feel like a monster.”

Dakik was silent for a long time. After a while, he spoke. 

“Well, the Manics are different. Dagh did not create them, as he did the Tubemen, and therefore does not feel the same fatherly instincts towards them. Or at least, not to the same extent, because the majority of Grineer on Uranus were born under his supervision.”

“...All this time I thought I killed one of your siblings.” Kelpie banged her head on the railing. “I’m so stupid!”

“No, it makes sense that you would think that. But no, you can rest assured that I probably didn’t even know who it was.”

“Well at least I can tell Tyl without worrying about getting thrown off the planet.” 

“So you'll tell him?”

“Later, yes.”

“I’m sure he’d rather hear it from you. He values honesty.”

“Well, I will tell him, eventually.”

“Alright. Just...tell him, ok? Just because the others aren't exactly considered his children doesn't mean he doesn't care.”

“I will.”

They sat in silence for some time, watching the huge silver and copper scaled fish swim under the calm surface of Uranus’s oceanic surface. Then the water started to churn, and a large black, gold and finned back rose and fell under the waves.

“Should we go back in? That looks...dangerous.” Kelpie asked.   
  
“Absolutely not! You don’t wanna miss this, trust me.”

“W-why? What is it?”

“The Leviathan. It’s pretty rare one even comes up around this time.”

“The  _ what? _ ” 

“You’ll see.” he told her cheekily.

So they waited, the water getting more and more agitated, when suddenly a massive bronze fish, probably half as long as Tyl himself, leapt out of the water with panicked grace. A split second later, after it shot the owner of the massive fin from before, a gigantic aquatic snake, black as the abyss, its sides streaked with gold scales, its mouth gaping. Its diamond shaped head was ringed by large fins that almost looked like wings, and the ivory fangs wringing its mouth gleamed pearly. It overtook the fish and snapped its jaws shut around its lower third, then threw its head back, swallowing it whole, before leaping back into the sea, disappearing with a flick of its finned tail.

“Hey, that was Gallum! He doesn’t like to swim around here often.” Dakik said, stretched out over the railing to get a better look into the azure depths. 

“What the hell was that!? It’s so cool! I didn’t know you had sea serpents on Uranus.” Kelpie burst out.

“Neither did we until about a year ago! He was the first one we saw. Or at least, Dagh thinks it’s a he. We’ve seen a few others that are smaller but most likely too big to be babies, so they’re probably females.”

“I thought he would have caught and dissected one by now.”

“So did we, but-” he lowered his voice “-Dagh thinks they’re too cool to just kill like that.”

Kelpie started giggling. “The mighty Tyl Regor restrained by something like that?”

“Dagh will deny it to his grave, but yes. Not sure about how yours would react though.”

“Dad would probably throw one of his prosthetics at it. He has a bad habit of doing that.”

“...Bad habit?”

“Yes.”

“...I’ve really gotta meet him for myself one day.”

“Not sure Tyl would want that, but it would be fun to see.” she sighed. “Dad’s going to be pissed at me for being gone so long...but...thank you for tolerating me. You and your family, I mean.”

“You’re really not so bad. Like, man I thought you’d be a real bitch with how you and Dagh fought but you’re...quite nice, and I like you.”

Kelpie blushed under her helmet, not knowing what to say. She wondered to do, and settled for the first and dumbest option that popped into her head.

She licked his masked face. 

To her surprise, he did not immediately deck her for this, but they both stared at each other without uttering a single word. Just...silence, awkward silence, silence where you could easily put crickets in the background, silence where you could cough dryly and still be more bearable, silence where the tension was heavy enough to run down someone’s spine out of sheer cringe.

"Uh...is this like some sort of ritual or special greeting you use with your friends or something? Is this something about Tenno culture I didn’t know up until now?"

"It's me being shocked and not knowing how to react so I licked you because...well...uh, I also like you, but I couldn't really put it into words, so I licked your face. I-I'm sorry."

"No it's fine, really. It's...kind of cute, actually." 

“Y-you thinks so?” she asked, suddenly shy.

"Yeah. Even if your tongue is a long ass strip of  _ weird. _ "

Kelpie blushed harder. She hadn’t expected things to go this way, but here they were. 

"Well, thanks for sticking with me, and my long ass strip of weird."

"And I am going to keep sticking with it." 

"Please do."

This was certainly a new feeling, this odd rose-pink happiness she felt, but she liked it. 

Just how much did she wish she could have held it for a bit longer, though. Just how much...


	27. Midnight Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The jellyfish and The Squid (Alad and Michi) have a talk. Michi pulls a page out of Iroh's book because tea makes everything better.

“Hey, Jellyfish, I forgot to tell you something last night-oh...you don’t look so good, man.” Michi said, staring at Alad’s hunched figure with a surprisingly worried expression. His head was cradled in his arms, and his silver eyes were dull, tired, and slightly bloodshot. The grey at his temples seemed to have become a tiny bit more prominent.

He took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

“You do not look fine. You look like crap.”

“Is this new?”

“You always looked bad, but not this bad.” she tilted her head, black eyes studying him. “Is something up?”

“You suddenly care, why?”

“Oh, don’t be an ass, it’s not like I want you to die for exhaustion or anything.” 

“Whatever, Squid.”

“Just do yourself a favor, and look in the mirror. It couldn’t hurt.”

“I don’t own one.”

She rolled her eyes, and left, coming back a half hour later holding a steaming mug of something. She set it down in front of him and sat next to him.

“Thank you.” Alad took a sip, feeling the warmth spread over him. “Did you poison it?”

“No, it’s just tea. No poison included. C’mon man, I don’t dislike you that much.”

“I suppose you must like me on some level if you keep coming back to talk.”

“You’re more interesting than most of my coworkers anyway. Except the Red Veil guys, they’re cool.”

“Oh, really? What is it about them?” Alad took another sip, enjoying the warmth settling in his stomach.

“They have so many stories to tell, and besides, they’re fun to be around. The time really just slips by when you talk to them.”

“Which is why you spend some of it arguing with me.” 

“Maybe deep down I actually kind of like you.”

Alad stopped, staring at her. 

“What? Is there something on my face?”

“No, I just haven’t heard that from someone who’s not a Warframe and it's very strange.”

“I mean, I understand that. But it’s the truth; I like you.”

“I think that makes you my third friend who isn’t a Warframe. Congratulations.”

“Well, we all start somewhere. Speaking of, why don’t you start telling me what’s wrong? Might help, because you look like someone took your soul.”

“Well, I don’t know…”

“I promise not to share it, if that’s what you’re worried about. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Alright, I suppose it can’t hurt.” He took a deep breath. “Kelpie’s been gone for two weeks straight, I have no idea where she is, and I’m worried.” 

“Have you messaged her?”

“I tried, she only sent me a short reply back, saying that she was going to stay out of my hair for a while. Haven’t heard from her since. I haven’t slept in days over this, I just...I don’t know. Am I worried over nothing?”

“Well, I don’t know, you’re her dad. She hasn’t said anything in weeks. Yeah, I think you’ve got every right in the system to be worried.”

“Any advice on what I should do about it?”

"That, dear Jellyfish, I have not. Er, sorry. Any theories as to where she might have gone?"

“Only that wherever she went, there would have to be water. Other than that, I’m flying blind.”

"So your best bets are Earth and Uranus."

Alad shivered. "I hope it's the former."

“Why’s that?”

"Tyl Regor is why. Bastard." he clenched the hilt of Icefall. "If he's done  _ anything  _ to her, I'll rip apart every single one of his stupid Tubemen and make him watch."

“And I wouldn’t blame you, but I also wouldn't recommend it. Would she have any reason to go to Uranus?”

"A rematch, maybe. All the shit that's happened is starting to get to her, I think. The others aren't helping with that either. I'm starting to suspect there's at least one frame trying to shoot her in the knee. Maybe a faction, I don't know.”

“And what about Earth?"

"More likely, I even have an idea as to where on Earth, but there's no way to confirm.”

“Alright, but where is she more in danger? I think you should check Uranus, and if she isn’t there, then move on to Earth.”

"I'll send a call to Regor, but I doubt he'll answer, or answer honestly." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wish I talked to her more thoroughly, paid better attention to her actions and words. This could have all been avoided if I hadn't been so blind. I just want my girl back."

Michi patted his shoulder. “She’s strong, you’ll get her back.”

"I hope you're right. And by the damn Lotus do I wish this was my only problem."

“What else you got?”

"Friend of mine that I'm making a gun with is in some pretty massive debt, thanks to dear Neffy, the damn scum sucker."   
  


"You still in your to-the-death rivalry with him?"

"Yes, and I will be till one of us dies. Him first, hopefully. Him and his stupid Void scam. Him and everything he’s built on all his lies. Him draining everyone he knows like some kind of leech. He reminds me, just a tiny bit, of how I used to be. I don’t want to fall back into that. I don’t want to be  _ that  _ again. The kind of man who rips open a living thing while it’s pleading for mercy." he sighed. “That was a bit of a tangent, I’m sorry. It’s just...in both her and Kelpie’s cases, I feel helpless. I want to help them, help the people I care about, because Lotus knows that’s a brand new experience for me, but I just...can’t.”

“It’ll be alright, Alad.” she said quietly, after a while. “I think...that you just wanting to help counts for something, at least. And I mean...you’re bound to make mistakes as a father, and you’ll probably have to find some way to sneak around Nef, but you can do it.”

He took a deep breath. “Sometimes, it’s like I’m pushing against a wall. No matter how hard I try, I can’t move it. It’s almost like it’s just there to mock me, to make fun of my puny attempts to make any sort of progress.”

“Alad,” Michi said, bringing his attention to her. “It matters that you try, because your effort makes a difference. You won’t always see it, but it’s there, I promise you.” She reached out, patting him on the shoulder.

After a while, he nodded, bringing his attention back to the present. “I just have to be good enough, I suppose,” he said, a slight quiver in his voice. A slight pause later, Michi briefly wrapped her arms around him, letting go after a moment.

“I believe in you, Alad. Everything will turn out alright.”

“I hope so. I really hope so.”

Alad turned away, busying himself around his lab, hoping the work would take his mind off of the problems at hand. Michi, however, had one thing left to say.

“Hey, Alad?” she asked, quietly.

He stopped what he was doing, slowly looking up at her. 

“If you ever want to talk, I want you to call me, no matter what time it is. Okay?”

After a moment, he nodded. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“Good. I don’t want anything to happen to you, alright?”

“...Thank you, Michi. Neither do I.” He returned to his work.

“Neither do I.”

  
  



	28. All the Colors of the Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelpie likes sand, unlike that bitch boy Anakin. Tyl is dad, Saryn schemes, Baruuk's head is a lampshade and I will die on this hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to JustIII for helping with this chapter! <3

Tyl was finally making good on his promise.

Kelpie was beyond excited. She galloped up and down the galleon the whole way there, unable to keep still from the sheer excitement. Tyl smiled under his mask, watching her. Although he had seen the ocean many times, her excitement was contagious, and he found himself in much the same mood as the young frame. 

“You’ve been to Earth oceans, right?” 

“I have, and it’s always a sight to behold. Not that I really ever have much time to spend just looking at the view, but still, it’s nice.” Tyl answered. Kelpie resumed her excited laps, eager to see what he’d seen. 

She’d been told about Earth’s oceans a few times before, from Hydroid and Umbra, but never had she expected something quite like this. 

The particular piece of shoreline, surprisingly lacking the toxicity of Earth and Grineer presence she was used to, was bordered by massive, sheer cliffs that dropped down to smooth, wave-weathered faces guarded by islands and chucks of jagged rocks reminiscent of teeth and dragon spines, crowned with odd looking trees Tyl informed her were called pines, with prickly needles instead of leaves. The few normal trees mixed among them were vibrant shades of orange, red, or gold, heralding the change of seasons. The ocean here was so different from Uranus. It seemed more lively, calm one minute, pounding the sandy beach the next. The water changed colors between at least twenty different shades of blue and green each, unlike Uranus’s usual slatey blue. Kelpie was enthralled by the beauty.

“It’s so pretty! I’ve never seen anything even close to this. Thank you so much for bringing me here, Tyl.” 

“This is one of my favorite places to come to, because of this scenery. Although each planet has its own sort of natural beauty, there’s nothing in the system quite like this.”

Kelpie nodded, trotting in a circle watching herself make footprints in the sand. Tyl was amused at her wonder in what seemed to him to be a small thing, but to her, it was a brand new experience. She watched, amazed, as the waves washed her footprints away, before gleefully galloping around making more, to see if those, too, would disappear.

“Dad told me once that Lua controlled Earth’s tides. It must be strange, for the tides to suddenly be the way they used to be after it was taken out of the Void.”    


“I’m told it was very jarring, to have the tides suddenly reappear. The Grineer had several bases where the ocean used to be, and once the tides returned, they were suddenly under dozens of feet of water. What had been ideal points of capture, quickly turned into unusable, foolish bases.”

“Do you think that they’re still down there?” Kelpie peered into the blue-green water.

“They might be, but I don’t think so. The tidal forces would probably have torn away everything that was once there. Besides, there wasn’t really anything there that we couldn’t bear to lose.”

“Makes sense.” she said, watching the water wash over her hooves. She watched the ocean move in silence for a while, entranced by the constantly changing patterns of waves. She felt a sort of connection to it, which was strange considering that she had never been here before. There was too much to see, the way the ocean disappeared over the horizon, the beach, the colors of the trees. She couldn’t take it all in.

"It's weird. I asked Gara about it, and she said the kelpie was a freshwater monster, and here I am, drawn to saltwater."

"Well, you're not a real kelpie, are you?"

"I'm not totally sure. I mean, I act enough like one."

“Well then, Alad did an even more impressive job than expecting, making a mythical creature. It's even more lucky you ended up as the water horse you did."

"I could have been a hippocampus, yeah. Just fish horses, not remotely threatening."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a nuckelavee."

"Oh, I’m not that bad am I?”

“Of course not. Besides, it could always be worse.” 

“That’s true. Humans love making up wild and scary water creatures. Gara rattled off a list of them for about an hour. You want some highlights?”

Tyl laughed. “Sure, why not?”

So Kelpie rattled off a list of all the horrific and not-so-horrific water legends she knew, from island-backed krakens to kappas, bird-bodied sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, Selkies with their sealskins, Nixies, the dragon god Ryujin and his tide jewels.

“But my favorite, albeit one of simpler ones, is Jormungandr. He’s a huge, absolutely massive snake, so big he can wrap himself around Earth and bite his own tail. He’s the son of a god called Loki, and he has two other siblings, a sister named Hel who’s alive on one side and dead on the other, and a brother named Fenrir who is a huge wolf. Nobody likes them, they’re all super weird and outcasts-”

“Like you?” he asked gently.

“...Yes.” she said quietly, hanging her head. She sat down next to Tyl, and he put an arm around her shoulders as she gazed out to the open sea.

“I wonder if something like that is really down there. Like the leviathans Dakik showed me. It would be nice to know someone equally as strange as me.”

“This system is full of surprises. You’re certainly not as odd as you think you are, and with Earth...well it’s actually quite shocking how many monstrosities you can find in the deep sea. I’m sure a massive snake could be on that list as well.” 

“I hope so. Or, if not in the ocean, just some big, long noodly thing on land, or that could fly.”

“Well...now that you mention it, I do know a legend about something like that.”

“Tell me, tell me!” she begged.

“Void dragons. They’re...exactly what they sound like. Huge, long bodied dragons that live in the void. They’re said to live for hundreds of thousands of years or more, and hoard ancient treasures from civilizations even predating the Orokin.”

“And are they real?!”

“Nobody knows. Most think they’re just a myth, but some claim to have seen, even spoken to them. Of course, with all myths, nobody believes the claims, so who knows?”

“I hope they’re real. Imagine it, real dragons, just like Chroma and Mani. I wonder how they survive in the void.”

“The same way fish survive in the ocean. They’re made for the water.” 

“Speaking of which…” Kelpie said, and he noticed she was starting to twitch. He grinned under his mask and pulled his arm away. The moment he let go she bolted, splashing knee deep into the rush waves, trying to get a good angle of approach.

“It’s so cold!” She laughed, trying to jump over a particularly large wave and getting knocked over for her efforts. She backed up, climbing up a large, jutting spire of rock and using it to push off, diving into the azure depths. 

The ocean embraced her in a heavy sheet of water, rushing in her ears, sliding easily over her sword-steel skin. This was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. Looking up, she saw the sea churning overhead in it's endless dance under the pull of Lua. Looking down, there was a forest of massive waving kelp and the sunlight refracted over the deep green leaves and seabed, covered in smaller plants and shellfish. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her short life. She swam back up to inform Tyl.

"It's incredible down there!" She called, head bobbing above the waves and occasionally getting a mawful of water.

“Is it now? I haven’t been down there, myself. I have wondered what there is to see, however.”

“Very long plants, fish, sand, and spiny balls.”

“Spiny balls?” Tyl looked up in surprise.

She dove down and came back up with a little ball of dark purple spikes in one hand.

“I wonder what this is?” he mused, turning it over in his hands.

“It would be good for throwing at someone, except I think it’s alive.”

“It does look to be that way, yes.” He was silent for a moment. “I wonder what it eats? It doesn’t have a mouth anywhere. Maybe something to do with filtering nutrients out of the water.”

“I’m gonna see what else I can find!” Kelpie said, diving back into the water.

As she spent time swimming through the water, periodically bringing up things to show Tyl, she became increasingly at ease with herself, and stopped thinking so much about anything other than the present moment. Right then, she couldn’t wish to be anywhere else in the system. 

By the time Kelpie finally left the water, the sun was setting, painting the sea, sky, and clouds in vibrant shades of vermillion, sunflower gold, goldfish orange, and royal purple. She ran up the beach and sat next to Tyl, knees to her chest, looking content.

“So, how was it?” Tyl asked.

“I think I’d like to live here.” she said, breathless.

“I wouldn’t blame you, really. This is a very beautiful place, when it’s not raining.” He got up, brushing the sand off his armor.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Well, as much as I would like to stay, I have things to attend to back in my lab. Also, I think that it’s time that you should head back to your father.”

She went quiet at that, looking down and drawing lines in the sand.

“I guess…” 

“Besides, I’m sure he misses you, and wants to know that you’re alright.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Tyl didn’t reply, instead, helped her to her feet, and started walking towards the galleon they had arrived on. After a long moment of looking out over the water, Kelpie followed suit, silently swearing to herself that she’d return, one day.

"Thank you for this, Tyl. And...thank you for being my friend."

Running. A big finding such as the one Baruuk had just done definitely deserved such an alarmed, or rather, excited attitude, proving a rare breach of his trademark calm, patient nature. It shouldn’t have been such a long hallway to run down if perspective hadn’t played him a fast one in his thrill, but regardless, he was still there, running, down the long gray over his head and under his feet, and to the lower side of his orbiter. Bathed now in darkness barely disturbed by faint blue glowing from his ship’s systems, he could engage in the call with proper secrecy, opening a screen right in front of his face before waiting for long seconds, each feeling like their own eternity.

And then, she was there to meet him, at the other side of the call. Saryn, with her chitin-covered face, could easily notice how overjoyed he was, undoubtedly a rare sight to come upon. She admitted to herself, though, it certainly proved a bit contagious, and then he spoke his first few words:

"You'll never believe what I just saw."

"Well, you look excited about something. What is it?”

“Guess who I caught being all buddy buddy on Earth.” he said

“Oh, I can hardly wait. Who, pray tell?” she asked, rubbing her hands together.

“Tyl Regor and  _ Kelpie _ .” Baruuk replied, barely containing himself. 

Saryn was silent for a moment. Even she couldn’t believe the implications of this news, at least, not at first.

“You’re sure it was  _ her _ , and not someone else?”

“I saw it clear as day.”

“Alright.” She considered for a moment. “You know what this could mean, right?”

“What?” 

“With this, we can finally prove she's a treacherous, cheap copy, and secure the victory of us, the true gatekeepers of this system, not a bastardized imitation from a drunken mad scientist that is better off dead. The little biohazard is finally going to get her divine retribution.” 

“I’d personally say I’m more invested in watching Alad take it in the knees, but getting rid of her is a bonus.”

She smiles wryly. “You never did like him, did you?”

“He doesn’t exactly make it easy. And just when everyone stopped calling me Lamphead!”   
  


“You gotta admit, that helmet does look like a lampshade.”

“No it does not!” he snapped.

“Fine, have it your way.”

However, that small, slightly more light-hearted moment, product of her now drastically improved morale, more enthusiastic than ever before, certainly proved to be a sign of things to come, as this served as nothing but a prelude to what would come next.


	29. What Lurks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alad gets that shotgun, Kelpie gets hurt, Saryn needs to get that kneecap smackdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to JustIII for helping with this chapter! <3

“It’s going to be alright, Alad. You’ll see her soon.” Michi patted him on the shoulder.

“I swear, if Tyl’s done anything at all to her, I’ll destroy him,” he said, hefting his completed, four barreled monstrosity of a shotgun, Ragnarok. 

“She’s a smart girl, I’m sure she’s okay.”

“I really hope so,” he said, looking down. “I don’t know what I’ll do, otherwise.”

Michi looked up at him, a bit worried. “She’s going to be okay, and you’ll come back safe. Okay?”

“Alright. I mean, I can’t die yet, I haven’t shafted Neffy enough in this life yet.” He lifted Ragnarok over his shoulder, and headed out the door. Or, he would have.

Right in front of him, blocking the lab entrance, was Kelpie. He stood in shock for a moment, before grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug. 

“I’m back!” She proclaimed.

“So I see! You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked, quickly looking her over. 

“No, I still have all my limbs attached, Dad.”

“Good, good.” After a pause, Alad continued, speaking quietly. “I missed you, you know that?”

“Yeah...I’m sorry for leaving you hanging like that for so long.”

“I’m just glad that you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t.” He pulled her into another quick hug, releasing her after a moment.

“Did anything here change much while I was gone?” she asked. 

“No, not really. It’s still the same relay, filled with the same stuff, occupied by the same people and Warframes as before.”

Kelpie took a deep breath, looking at the floor. She had been secretly hoping, deep down, that maybe her absence would change their opinion of her, somehow. She wasn’t sure why, because logically speaking, it didn’t make sense. But still, she was mildly disappointed. 

"Ah well, I guess that means I didn't miss anything interesting."

“It’s alright, Kelpie. Things will improve, given time.”

"You sure?"

“Trust me, I have experience with these things. Things get better eventually.”

“I trust you, Dad.” she said quietly.

"So, with that out of the way, by the Lotus's tits where the hell were you and what were you doing for three weeks?"

“I...um...I was, you know, around. Just seeing the sights, thinking a lot. That sort of thing.”

“That’s not a straight answer, Kelpie.”

“I know, it’s just...I don’t want you to worry about where I was. I just found places to go swimming, and stayed there for a while.”

Alad gave her a look, but let it slide. He knew what it was like to have secrets, after all. Instead, he stroked her short muzzle gently. 

“So what were you doing?” She asked. 

“Well, I went to Fortuna, and convinced Zuud to help me build my new shotgun, Ragnarok.”

“...Dad, you said you were going to build a shotgun, not a small cannon.”

“It is a shotgun! Here, see for yourself.” He handed it over to her.

“Dad, it’s huge. And four barrels...is that really necessary?”

“Yes. Also, it is semi-automatic, and it’s beautiful.” 

“...Guns aren’t beautiful, Dad.”

“This one is. I mean, look at her. Sheer perfection. Zuud agrees.”

“I’ve really got to meet her, if she agrees with you on this.”

“You should, she’s quite the character.”

“She must be. You do have a habit of making friends with the weirdos.”

Alad thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”  
  
“You also _made_ a weirdo.” 

He laughed. “That I did. And I love this weirdo that I made.”

“At least you do.” she said quietly. 

“Yes, I do.” He pulled her into another hug. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Remind me again why you thought bringing  _ her  _ was a good idea.” Saryn asked Oberon, trying to tamp down the disgust in her voice as they made their way deeper into Lephantis’s lair. 

“Because the experience will be good for her, and besides, with all of us here, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about.” He kept his voice down, so as to avoid alerting Kelpie to the fact that she was being discussed.

“Shouldn’t be much to worry about? What are you talking about? This is  _ Lephantis _ , not some new Grineer general, still wet behind the ears. It’s eaten Warframes, literally.”

Oberon sighed. “Yes, I know of the danger surrounding this fight. But, if all goes well, we’ll just be in and out.” 

“Things never go well, with her in the squad,” Saryn mumbled, looking away.

“Why do you hate her so much?” Umbra asked, his voice low and edging on threatening.

“I don’t hate her. There just seems to be a constant pattern of failure wherever she goes, and I, personally, would prefer it if that didn’t happen this time. Besides, she could get hurt, or killed, and where would that leave her?” Saryn said, with mock sincerity.

Oberon simply shook his head. “Let’s get moving, we’ve got some ground to cover before we get to Lephantis.” Taking point, the rest of the squad followed behind him, weapons ready. 

Admittedly, Kelpie was extremely nervous. She had heard about this Lephantis, and none of the tales were pretty. Walking forward with the group, her hands shook slightly, her breath coming in gasps. She kept Galatine raised in front of her, the tip wavering with her unsteady hands. 

Umbra, who was walking behind her, noticed her unease. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly. 

She jumped, then noticed him there, and let out a breath of relief. “Warn me next time, would you? I’m scared enough as it is.” 

“I’m assuming that you’re worried about the fight to come?” When she nodded, he continued. “Look, it wouldn’t be an easy fight no matter who came. However, if Oberon and I didn’t think you could handle it, you wouldn’t be here. Besides, we’ll both be watching your back.”

“What about Saryn?” She asked.

“Well, she’s a competent fighter, and her skillset will come in very useful for this mission.” After a pause, he sighed. “And no, I don’t think that she’s going to try to sabotage it in any way. That would be too sinister, even for her.” 

“Are you sure?” Kelpie asked skeptically.

“Cmon, she’s a bit iffy on you, but she wouldn’t do something like that.” 

“I hope not,” Kelpie said, looking at the floor. 

They kept moving forward, Oberon and Saryn checking the angles ahead for enemies, with Kelpie helping Umbra watch their rear. It was slow going, as they couldn’t move very quickly without disturbing the Infested in the area, and alerting them to their location. The air was thick with tension, and no one dared speak above a whisper. 

It wasn’t much longer before they ran into their first obstacle: a group of Infested gathered in a hallway, blocking the way forward. These, while easily dispatched, served to ramp up the team’s nerves. They kept moving, watching and listening for any signs of the enemy, Kelpie jumping at every slight noise, Saryn rolling her eyes at it under her helmet.

As the minutes wore on, tension rose, and progress forward slowed. They kept checking corners and angles before moving forward, which took time, and made Kelpie all the more nervous. Eventually, they reached a hallway, with some strange looking designs along one of the walls. The others didn’t stop to pay them any attention, but Kelpie paused for a short bit, curious as to what the design might be. It was just enough time. 

A trap door in the floor opened, and Kelpie fell through, into a slime-covered tube that quickly swept her down and away from the group. She was so startled by how suddenly it happened, that she didn’t even have time to scream. As she slid through the tube, her stomach in her throat, and her heart pounding, she felt the grade begin to level out. Eventually, she was deposited at the bottom, in a room chock full of Infested. She could see a hallway on the far side, but she’d have to be quick, as she didn’t want to be caught in the tangle of enemies.

She leapt forward, sprinting towards the other side of the room, dodging the Infested in her way. They were starting to take notice of her, though, and it wouldn’t take long for them to come after her. She redoubled her efforts, making for the gap in the wall. She just made it, looking back as she ran to see them converging on her. Just as she entered the hallway, a slab of rock broke off of the ceiling, closing off the opening and crushing any Infested who were there. 

Kelpie stopped, thinking she was clear. Just then, she felt the floor begin to vibrate, and looked around to see more large chunks of rock falling behind her. She sprinted forward again, desperately running for her life down the long hallway, as it collapsed behind her. 

“Where’s Kelpie?” Oberon asked, swivelling his head back and forth like a startled deer.

“She was right behind us.” Umbra thought back. “Come to think of it, I did hear a noise, but I ignored it. There’s a lot of small noises around here, I guess it just blended in at the time.”

“Well, that still doesn’t help anything. Where could she have gone, and why?” Oberon’s voice rose with anger.

“How am I supposed to know? She didn’t say anything, and besides, I didn’t think she would dare to venture off on her own in this forsaken place.” 

Silently, Saryn was delighted that her scheme had worked so beautifully well. It had been worth all of the hours of labor, to create the elaborate trap, with the help of her friends, now that Kelpie was removed from the equation. 

“Maybe she just found a new way forward, and we’ll see her when we get to Lephantis,” she said, letting just the right amount of worry creep into her voice.

“Let’s hope so. But this seems out of character for her.” Oberon said 

“From what you’ve said, she has a habit of disappearing.” 

“Not on purpose.” Umbra piped up. 

“I didn’t say on purpose, just that she seems to vanish, and she turns up later.” 

“Again, let’s hope so. We should keep moving; Lephantis isn’t going to kill himself, unfortunately.” Umbra started forward, the others falling into step behind him.

“That would make things much easier.” Oberon said. 

They kept moving, eventually arriving at a large cathedral-like room, covered in flesh. “So, this is it. And still no Kelpie,” Umbra noted, softly. 

“Alad’s going to kill us.” Oberon said, peering around, being careful to avoid the center of the room.

“We’ll search for Kelpie after we dispatch Lephantis. She’s a survivor, I’m sure she’ll be alright. She may have just gotten lost.” Umbra walked toward the center of the room, and began to stomp the ground. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

They felt a rumbling under the floor, and Umbra quickly ran back to join the others. It wasn’t long before a massive head and neck sprouted up, quickly followed by two others. Although the group knew what they were facing beforehand, the shock still hit them hard.

“How does something like this even exist?” Oberon wondered aloud, his Bo Prime clenched tightly in his right hand. “How does the universe allow something like this?” 

“Ask the Infested, they created it.” Umbra hated the slight waver in his voice, not that the others were paying any attention to it. 

“If the Infested made this...can you imagine becoming Infested yourself?” Saryn added, the fear genuine this time.

Before someone could answer, Lephantis noticed them. They immediately had to move, to avoid getting crushed, and the group split up. Umbra took on the center head, with Oberon on his left, and Saryn on his right. They really could have used another frame, Umbra thought. It was going to be a long and arduous fight, and then they’d have to search for Kelpie afterwards. The thought didn’t exactly excite him. 

Several dozen minutes had passed, and the fight wasn’t going well. The weak points were difficult to hit, and no damage could be done otherwise. Saryn was struggling on her end, mostly just avoiding getting hit. Oberon was also not doing too well, Bo Prime not being extremely suited to fighting this enemy. Umbra was the only one able to deal out significant damage, Fulmin working overtime. Just as he brought down the first head, he heard a shuffling sound behind him, and whipped around, bringing his rifle up.

It was Kelpie, covered in scrapes and bruises, blood trickling down one side of her face, limping slightly. She looked up, her eyes brightening when she saw him, then immediately darkening again when she looked around. 

“Kelpie! Where have you been?” Umbra yelled, somewhat flustered and angry. 

“I’m sorry, I fell through a trapdoor, then wound up in a room full of Infested, then had to run for my life down a collapsing hallway. I got hit a few times, too.” She looked down, ashamed. “I-I’m sorry, Umbra.” 

“We’ll worry about that later. Can you still fight?” 

“I...I think so, yeah.”

“Well, now’s a good time!” He dodged an attack, bringing Fulmin up and firing. 

Kelpie looked around, seeing who needed more help. Oberon seemed to be doing alright, so she ran over to assist Saryn, who glared over her shoulder at her before attacking again, her hooked blades tearing off pieces of Infested meat. 

“What can I do?” she asked, not noticing the look Saryn gave her. 

“Come over here, and swing that giant sword you carry around!” 

Kelpie stepped forward, Saryn moving to one side to make room for her. Swinging Galatine, she began to hack off large portions of flesh. Working together, they managed to somewhat subdue their enemy, and things were looking up.

Oberon and Umbra were having similar success, teaming up to attack the other remaining head. Oberon would move forward, dodging the attacks, and create an opening for Umbra to use Fulmin to systematically blow holes in the weak points. Eventually, the head faltered, then fell over, narrowly avoiding hitting Oberon in the process. 

“Do I look that much like Lephantis?” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, when you’re covered in bits of him, it’s hard to tell the difference.” Umbra slapped him on the back in congratulations. 

Meanwhile, Saryn and Kelpie were having a harder time. Between the two of them, they had managed to deal a significant blow to Lephantis, but it wasn’t enough, and the pain was driving it crazy. It began to lash out, trying to get rid of the enemies trying to take it down. 

“Do you think we can still kill this thing?” Kelpie yelled to Saryn.

“I have an idea. Just move closer, and hit it when it rears back.” She began to back away once Kelpie turned towards the enemy, her plan falling nicely into place. Satisfied things would go as they should, she turned her attention towards helping Umbra and Oberon…

...only for the three of them to stop dead once they heard Kelpie shriek.

Kelpie was trying her best, she really was.

Of course, her instincts told her that getting this close to Lephantis was not a good idea. At all. But she trusted Saryn, if only because she was more experienced, and everything was going fine, until she felt a sudden stabbing pain in her gut, splitting her armor. It tore at her inner flesh and workings, and she felt its spikes dig in, breaking veins and making her nerves howl, slithering past her spine and bursting out the other side before she looked down to see the beast yanking it’s tentacle back out of her, ripping her up even more, dragging chunks of her flesh with it.

She couldn’t scream enough.

Umbra was at her side in a moment, catching her as she fell and dragging her away from the thrashing Lephantis, before turning on his heel and sprinting for the way they came in, Oberon right behind him. Saryn, however, lingered for a moment. She had meant for Kelpie to get hurt, not for her to be run through like a fish with a spear. That, she felt guilty over.

Not that she would ever let herself admit it.

Kelpie faded in and out of consciousness on the way back to extraction, not feeling the jostling of Umbra’s running biting into her. 

“Give her here Umbra, let me try and at least get it under control before I can heal her fully.” Oberon commanded, stopping briefly. 

“There’s Infested everywhere, are you sure you want to do this now?”

“If I don’t do it now, I might not get another chance.” He gave Umbra a hard look. 

Umbra took a deep breath. “Alright, but make it fast, if you can.”

Oberon took Kelpie gently into his arms and resumed running, trying to keep his movement as smooth as possible, one arm holding her tightly, the other casting Renewal on her in short bursts, slowly stopping the bleeding and starting to knit her back together. The pain was starting to dull, and the next time she passed out she didn’t wake up.


	30. What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Try Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your actions have consequences

It seemed whenever she blacked out, she always woke up on this specific operating table.

Not that she minded, as it meant Alad was nearby, or at least it meant he was aware she’d gotten into something and that she was going to be alright, but somehow her gut told her this time she wouldn’t be alright, even with him there. 

Kelpie wasn’t even sure how she was alive, really. One minute she had been fighting her hardest against the tangle of infested evil called Lephantis, the next she was in so much pain she couldn’t think. Everything after that was a blur. 

She sat up, then winced as she felt her head throb painfully. After a moment, it subsided somewhat, and she looked around, hoping to see Alad somewhere in the room. And indeed he was, sitting right at the foot of the table, asleep. She swung her legs over the side, and gingerly stood up, only to nearly topple over. She grabbed onto the table, making enough noise in the process to wake up Alad. 

He jumped up, rushing over to help her. He lifted her back up onto the table, worrying the whole time.   
  


“Kelpie, are you alright? How do you feel?”

“I feel like shit. At least you’re here.” she said quietly, standing up again shakily and hugging him, holding on as tightly as she could without breaking anything. 

“I’m always here for you, Kelpie. You shouldn’t be moving around yet, I’m told you took quite the hit.” He ran his hands over her, feeling for anything that might be out of the ordinary. “Do you feel pain in any specific area?”

“There’s nowhere that doesn’t hurt, Dad. Even my joints feel crunchy.” She grimaced again.

Alad helped her to lay back down on the table, being extremely gentle. “You just need rest and light painkillers, you’ll be ok.” he reassured, kissing her forehead.She reached a hand out, weakly, and he took it, sitting next to her and holding it. His stomach clenched, hoping that what he’d told her was true. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alad had finally cleared her to leave the lab. She’d been cooped up for weeks, wandering the space like a caged kavat, waiting for her Dad to say that she was safe to wander the relay. The time had finally come, and she was ready to be out among the other Warframes. Or, so she thought.

"Kelpie, we need to talk." Umbra said, coming up to her as soon as she walked out.

“Sure, what’s going on?” She walked over to him, unsure of what he wanted to say. "What happened?"

He pulled her to one side, away from the rest of the frames, so they could talk in private. “What did Alad tell you about what happened?”

“About what, the fight? He didn’t say anything.” 

Umbra took in a deep breath, nervous about her response to what he’d tell her. “No, not about that. I’m assuming you haven’t been told, then.” He paused, stalling for time. "Alright, there's no nice way to go about this. When did you meet Tyl Regor?"

“How did you find out about that?” she asked, surprisingly calm. This was it. This was when all the bricks fell on her head.

“Well...someone caught a video.” He pulled it up, Kelpie’s heart falling out of her chest. It was Earth, by the beach. 

“...Who?” she asked, trembling despite knowing this would happen. 

“Saryn put it up, sending it to everyone. Her and her posse couldn’t shut up about it, and she has everyone wondering if you’re a traitor or not.”

“Traitor…”

“What were you doing with him?!” 

“I-I was...I didn’t mean to end up with him, it just turned out that way! I just wanted to be alone for a while. I didn’t expect him to catch me, but he did. And he was nice to me. I felt very isolated, and he was the only one who was willing to actually talk to me, and listen to what I had to say. He let me cry, he took me to see the ocean, he did more for me in three weeks than most of you have in months.”

“Kelpie, it’s  _ Tyl Regor _ , not some human on Cetus. Did you share any of our secrets?”

“What secrets? I have nothing to share with him, you’ve told me practically nothing about the rest of you. Tyl is my friend. That won’t change.”

“Kelpie, you bordered on committing treason!”

“How?” 

“What do you mean,  _ how _ ? You went and spent time with the enemy, and how would you expect us to respond to that? How do we know that you haven’t sold us out? How can we even trust you after this?”

“How could you think that of me? How could you trust me so little?” They were starting to attract attention, but she didn’t care.

Umbra’s voice got louder the longer he spoke. “I thought I could trust you! I thought you were merely off on your own, and I was content to leave it there! But now, this evidence comes out that you were doing nothing of the sort, and I’m not sure what to believe!”

“You can ask Tyl yourself then, if you don’t believe me! Go to Uranus and ask him what I told him. Then you’ll see, you old fool!” She snapped, feeling her maw itching to open.

Umbra said nothing. He merely turned, and walked away slowly, head bowed, hands clasped behind his back. Kelpie decided that she wanted no part with anyone, and retreated to the relative safety of Alad’s lab, already noticing the looks she was getting. 

She immediately went to find Alad, who was feeding Galatea. When she walked up, he could tell something was wrong, and guessed what it was. 

“I’m sorry, Kelpie.”

“...Why didn’t you tell me, or warn me, or something?” Her voice was quiet, quivering with emotion. 

“I didn’t think you were ready for it, but Umbra decided to go ahead with it anyway. I wanted to wait, but he wouldn’t.” He took a deep breath. “Look, Kelpie, I know-” 

“You could have said something, and you didn’t.” She turned away, facing her back towards him. Alad went to reply, then shut his mouth, looking away. 

“So any goodwill I earned with everyone is now gone, and they think I’m a traitor. I wish you had warned me.” 

Alad was silent. What could he say to make her understand? 

“I mean, I could see you just saying something like ‘you might want to prepare yourself’ or similar. But you completely left it out.”

“And what was I supposed to say, hm? That your own people thought you were a traitor, and you had sold them out for money, or worse? That it looked like you had abandoned them, and were in bed with the enemy? Would it have been any less of a shock, Kelpie?”

“No, but it would have been better to hear it from you, because at least I know you’re always on my side. Or at least you try to be.”

Alad paused before responding. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. It may have been better for you to hear it from me, but I guess we’ll never know now. We can only deal with the fallout as it comes, and manage as best we can.”

“There’s nothing more to do. I’ve had a moment with someone I consider a friend twisted in such a way that it looks like I’ve been a double agent this whole time. There isn’t anything to deal with. I’m already fucked.” 

“It may look that way, but I promise that it’s not. You’ll get through this, I swear.” 

“I can’t see that happening.” Kelpie walked out, leaving Alad standing in the lab, feeling completely empty. How else is one supposed to feel when they fail the only thing that matters to you?


	31. As the Rain Worsens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it all comes crashing down...

“Alad, where did you get that?” Tyl Regor asked, staring at the gigantic bruise covering the right side of his face, being licked to death by Galatea.

“Where did I get what? Oh, you mean this giant fucking bruise? I got that from Valkyr.” He poked it, wincing. 

“Last I heard you two were on good terms. What happened?” he asked, tapping his fingers on the steel table.

“Well, Saryn, being the lovely lady she is, somehow found out that I used Valkyr’s eggs to make Kelpie, probably by snooping through my files while I was in Fortuna, and as soon as I come back that damn cat is yowling at me and giving my face a personal introduction to the floor, and now  _ this  _ damn cat is licking my face because she’s worried.” 

Galatea mrewed in a way that sounded like he’d insulted her. 

“Ha, I knew it!” Tyl celebrated. 

“And why are you so happy, you stick-legged, metal-assed, slab of meat?”

“Testy today, aren't we? I theorized it weeks ago, and I was right, so now I get to feel smug for an hour.”

“Congratulations. You figured out the obvious. You deserve a medal.” Alad sighed, rubbing his face on the non-bruised side.

“Don’t get pissy, Alad, just tell me what you called for.”

“What were you doing with Kelpie for those three weeks?” 

“Oh, that. So the news got out, did it?”

“Yeah, it did. Now people are wondering whether she’s a traitor or not.  _ Kelpie. _ ”

“Oh, that’s ridiculous!” Tyl shook his head. “What did they expect her to tell me, Tenno secrets? I looked her over a bit, and she mostly just told me things about herself. Let her swim around the lab, and took her down to see Earth’s oceans. She’s a good girl. Definitely never told me anything incriminating. Besides, I’m not like you were. After that bastard Oberon came in, I decided to not poke at the frames. It’s not worth it.”

“Oh yeah, the broken tube. It lived?”

“ _ She  _ lived, yes. Barely, and damaged, but she did. Anyway, Kelpie certainly didn’t say anything you could consider treasonous.”

_ So that explains Oberon’s mood recently. _

“I knew it! Fucking Saryn, always trying to make Kelpie look bad. I don’t understand what her vendetta is.”

“Don’t ask me, I know nothing about Warframe drama.”

“This isn’t mere drama, Regor, this is straight malice. If she doesn’t buck off, I’m putting this in her face.” Alad said, patting Ragnarok. 

“Alad?” called a shy voice, belonging to Valkyr, who was peering around the doorway. He immediately grabbed his gun and pointed it at her. She put her hands up. “Alright, I deserve that.”

“If you’re here to hit me again…”

“No, I promise I’m not, don’t blow a hole in my torso.” she asked. He lowered Ragnarok cautiously. 

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice full of suspicion.

"I...wanted to ask you where Kelpie is. I can't find her." she replied softly.

“Wait, what?” He lowered the gun back to its resting place on the desk beside him.

"I-" She swallowed "I can't find her."

"What!? Where the fuck did she go?!"

“That’s what I came here to ask you for, Alad.”

"Well I don't know. Why do you sound so upset?" he asked, his expression softening a bit.

"You don't realize what this means, do you?" she asked, voice starting to quiver.

"...It means I fisted your uterus and stole your eggs?"

“Alad, it means I had a daughter I didn't even know about. It means  _ I have a daughter. _ Me, a Warframe, in a very roundabout way, had a child. Kelpie might have others lending her their DNA but 50% of her is me. Half of her genetic makeup is the same as mine."

"...You're right, I'm sorry Valkyr." he said quietly after a minute.

"I-it's alright. But...we have a bit of a problem now."

“Yeah, well, what are we going to do? Did she leave a note, or talk to anyone?”

“As far as I can tell, no.” she said, tapping her claws. 

“Fuck…”

“I can go ask around if you want. I owe you that much.”

“I would appreciate that, yeah.” he replied, biting back a harsher reply. Valkyr left, and he turned back to Tyl.

“Well, that was more civil than I expected.” the Grineer said, an amused lilt in his voice.

“Fuck off, Regor. Er...do you know if she could be with you?”

“She’s not, at least, if she’s here she hasn’t told me, which would be unusual. My advice, check somewhere with water, Earth most likely.”

“Thanks Captain Obvious.”

“Just offering my opinion, Alad. No need to get...like yourself.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Saryn, don’t you think you’ve taken this just a bit too far?” Vauban asked, thoroughly sick of her scheme by this point.

“Taken what too far?” she asked, seemingly unaware of what he was talking about.

“This business with Kelpie. Haven’t you done enough to her?”

“It’ll be enough when she’s gone.” 

He shook his head. “You should have just left her alone. She’s not a threat to your dear Nidus. If anyone is, it’s Equinox. I think you’ve taken your obsession with him to a rather creepy point.” 

“Well, let me tell you something,” she said, fuming. “This isn’t about Nidus, or Equinox, it’s about her. She doesn’t belong here, she never has. I’m tired of everyone pandering to her like she’s supposed to be some sort of hero, or something. All she’s done is fail. I don’t see why more of you don’t see that.”

“Saryn you’re a complete liar, and if anyone knows that, it’s me. This is at least partially about him, stop trying to deny it.”

“He doesn’t have to like her so much, you know,” she said, quietly. “He could pay attention to someone else, once in a while.”

“What, someone like you? You had your chance, and you blew it. Looking back on what could have been isn’t going to change that. And it’s certainly not going to help if you’re trying to get rid of someone that many of the other frames, Nidus included, care about. Nidus doesn’t even like her like that, for crying out loud. He’s the closest thing she has to a biological father, do you really think he’s nasty enough to go for her like that? Or are you just making up more reasons to hate her?”

“She doesn’t need more reasons to hate her, and I’m not the only one that does.” She continued, her voice getting quieter as she went on. “And besides, what does it matter what Nidus thinks? It’s not like my opinion would matter to him, so this has nothing to do with him. And even if it did, I wouldn’t care that much. He never cared for me, anyway…”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve become something so awful. What happened to you? You weren’t like this before, what made you this way? You were so much better when you were new, what happened to that Saryn? What happened to the helpful and kind one who was always willing to assist with the shitty missions and other various boring grinds? It’s like you and her are so different you may as well have never been the same person.”

“Maybe I always was the same person. Maybe it was everyone else who changed around me, and I became scared and suspicious when we started to accept foreigners into our midst.”

Vauban heaved a sigh. “I don’t know what made you change like this. All I can do is hope one day you get better. Because this is going to bite you in the ass, and I feel like it has to for you to start changing for the better. I’m done, I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to go follow Kelpie. She doesn’t deserve what you’ve done to her, and after that, I’m telling everyone, and I’m getting Mag away from you too.” 

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Saryn alone. 

It wouldn’t be the last time, either.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Plains of Eidolon were supposed to be beautiful when you looked past all the Grineer. Unfortunately, Kelpie had to look past the Grineer  _ and  _ the pouring rain. The view was deary, perfectly suited to her dark mood. 

She was careful to make as little noise as she could, her footsteps falling virtually silently on the soaked grass of the Plains. With Galatine in hand, she slowly made progress, seeming either to not notice, or not care about the driving rain. She was here on a hunt. 

Suddenly, she perked up when she heard a loud screeching noise in the dark distance. She began to run towards the noise, no longer caring about moving silently. Soon, she had reached a hill, looking over it to see her prey.

An Eidolon. 

The Hydrolyst, to be exact. It was much bigger than she thought it would be, and she felt her stomach flip nervously as she looked on. But it didn't matter, in the end.

She would either beat this thing or would die trying. 

That was her grand plan to fix everything. Either she killed it and came back revered, or she died, and didn't have to put up with all the pains and whispers. It really wasn't worth it.

She started forward, gripping Galatine, her footfalls on the soaked grass making soft squelches. Her breathing quickened as her heart rate increased, and soon, she found herself running toward the Eidolon. She had to get to it before it saw her, or things would be so much harder. 

Suddenly, she heard it roar, and knew that she was too late. It had seen her, decreasing her chances of survival from slim to almost nonexistent. Still, she ran forward to meet it, putting on a brave face despite knowing exactly what she was heading into. She couldn’t give herself the choice to bow out, otherwise she would. So she threw that thought from her mind, and started bearing down on the problem at hand. She knew that others had taken down Eidolons, so it had to be possible. 

Kelpie arrived at its legs, and swung Galatine. Her attack just bounced off, and only served to annoy it. It rounded on her, raising a foot, forcing her to roll away before it could crush her. Standing up, she slid around it’s back, swinging again, with much the same results. Then, before she could get out of the way, it sideswiped her, sending her flying over the grass. Hitting the ground, she rolled a few times, finally coming to a stop at the base of a small hill. 

She rolled onto her back, pausing for a few moments to get her breath back. Finally, she stood, running back towards the Eidolon with renewed vigor. Picking up Galatine where she’d dropped it, she ran around its front this time, noticing that there seemed to be armor pieces scattered around its body. Aiming for the right kneecap, she swung. She knew that she dealt damage by the screech that the Eidolon let out, and felt a small stab of pride. She rolled away, hoping to create another opening, but now it was protecting that area, and she’d have to go for a different one, complicating things somewhat. 

All she had to do was put up a good fight before keeling, and then it would all be over. She didn’t dare hope that she could actually win, but she fought on anyway. 

After some time of hitting, dodging, and rolling away, she finally destroyed one of the armor pieces in an explosion of blue light. She couldn’t stop to celebrate, as it swung it’s gun around, shooting bullets from it in two-meter increments, each one exploding on contact. Though she tried to get away in time, one of them blew up behind her, sending her flying again. 

This time, it wasn’t nearly as painless as her previous flight through the air, as she hit and bounced off of several trees. She finally slid to a stop, dazed and covered in bruises, each movement causing some amount of pain. She shook her head to clear it, and forced herself to stand, shaking her limbs to try to restore range of motion. She tried walking, and found that she had a slight limp in her left leg. She limped over to Galatine, and picked it up.

In the back of her mind, she wondered what she was doing, how she thought she could ever possibly win. She quickly pushed down those thoughts, leaving room for only her anger and self-loathing. This fight would be finished, one way or the other. 

Again, she ran forward, attacking, dodging, and repeating the cycle. This was really the best way for her to go out. Deep down she knew she had no chance, but she’d go out like a Warframe, even a fake Warframe, should; in battle with their oldest and truest foe. The Sentients. Because she wasn’t a real Warframe, at least, that’s what she had been told, and if everyone thought that, they were right, weren’t they? She’d never be, she didn’t have the power, she could never be one of them, and she knew that now, so the only way for her to go out with some kind of honor was like this.

Then, suddenly, she was hit dead on by an explosion. She woke up several dozen yards away, her sword out of sight. She struggled to get up, and felt a searing pain tear through her left ankle.  _ I can’t stop now, _ she thought. _ I haven’t completed the mission. _

Limping forward, she found Galatine some ways away. She picked it up, using it as a sort of support to help her walk, and started to make her way back towards the Eidolon. As she moved forward, the adrenaline helped to dull the pain somewhat, and she was able to walk faster. Hopefully this would be over soon.

And so, she threw herself back at the titan in her way, like a berserker on his way to Valhalla, chasing that glorious death that would yield reward on the other side, only one lucky shot away from being felled. Not that she expected something like that. She didn’t want anything of the sort, only some kind of peace. It seemed that peace would only come through death, and if it was, so be it. 

The Hydrolyst lumbered towards her, little more than annoyed with her efforts. She was nothing to it, just a pest, not even worth direct engagement, and was only being forced into it out of sheer irritation. It stomped again, this time almost right on top of her, the explosion of dirt and rocks hitting her dead-on, blinding her momentarily and making her stumble. A couple of the sharp rocks actually punctured her skin, but she hardly noticed, only focusing on the battle. 

She swung Galatine around in an attack at it’s other leg, but wasn’t quick enough, and the attack was deflected. Determined to hit it, she dodged another incoming swing, before jumping up and bringing her sword around with everything she had. Suddenly, she heard a metallic clang, almost like a bell being struck, and looked down at her sword, heart turning sideways in her chest at the sight.

Galatine had snapped. 

The blade had broken off close to the hilt, so she didn’t have even a short bit left to fight with. Her thoughts slowed to a crawl, and she simply stood, staring at it, wondering how it could have gone so horribly wrong. Everything, not just this fight. She’d just wanted to help, and now…

Now she was facing down and Eidolon, not sure if she wanted to live or die. She’d miss her father, and the friends she’d managed to make, but on the other hand...she wouldn’t miss the pain, the rumors, the problems she constantly seemed to be the root of. Everything was pointing to let her allow the Eidolon to finish her off.

So she might as well let it. 

Slowly, she walked in front of the Eidolon, looking up at it, the hilt of Galatine in hand. She stopped at its feet, and turned her face upward, eyes closed, feeling the cold rain on her face. The Hydrolyst rushed her, and she let it.

It was time for oblivion to put her to sleep.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vauban couldn’t run fast enough.

He was pushing himself to his absolute limit but it still felt too slow. The Plains were huge, and no matter how big whichever Eidolon she’d pick to scrap with was, it didn't guarantee anything. He still had to find her. And he was desperate. Slipping on the muddy, soaked fields, he cursed himself for not having stopped Saryn sooner. Now someone might just die because of her, and he would have an involuntary hand in it.

He thought he heard noise in the distance, but it was hard to tell with the rain and thunder. He ran with new vigor, leaping forward in the hopes of seeing her. It seemed like hours before he was close enough to hear the sounds of the fight. Gripping his Fragor Prime tightly, he picked his way down the slimy, vegetation-covered hill. 

By the time he reached her, she was out cold, and he felt his heart drop like a rock. Was he too late? Should he have gone after her first, then confronted Saryn later? As the Hydrolyst left the area, a million things he could have done differently teased him as he approached her still form. 

Her body was limp, with her Galatine nowhere in sight, and her maw hanging loosely open, blood trickling from the corner. He picked her up gently, trying to get her back to consciousness, but she felt like a dead fish in his arms. Her body had an odd sheen to it from the Eidolon’s energy, and it would probably slowly drain her vitality if he didn’t move quickly. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

The rain started to come down even worse as he made the slow trek back to Cetus, washing over him in what felt like massive sheets of water instead of drops. In some places he was ankle or even calf deep in mud and water, and the usually dry and easy to navigate plains were shrouded in fog, crashing water, and nearly impossible to keep footing in, even for a Warframe.

Suddenly, he noticed the plains were getting lighter, if only slightly. The sun was rising, and his heart fell even lower. Daylight meant ghouls. He redoubled his efforts to get through the mire, struggling with the weight of Kelpie. She wasn’t making this any easier, he thought, but leaving her behind wasn’t an option. He had to make it, he just had to. She wasn’t going to die because of him.

And then the ghouls started to wake up.

The stench hit him first, like having a ton of bricks thrown in your face. The Grineers ghouls weren’t zombies persay, but they might as well be, with their rotten smell and their stupidity. And he was stuck in the middle of the plains, with Kelpie, while it was pissing rain. Holding her was like trying to carry an anchor, and he didn’t even bother trying to fight them, just concentrated on getting away, somewhere else,  _ anywhere  _ else.  _ Kelpie’s going to die because you were too slow. _

__ Not fighting them soon ceased to be an option, as they were drawn to him and his struggling like idiot moths to an open flame. Quickly placing Kelpie in the lee of a jutting rock, he pulled out Fragor prime and charged to meet his foes.

__ His first strike took the head clean off of one. He spun around to strike at another, hitting it in the chest with the sound of cracking bones. He ducked under an attack from his right, then brought Fragor Prime around behind the ghoul, sweeping under its legs, then he brought it down on it’s head. They were nothing to him, just another wall in his way.

Finally, covered in bloody ghoul slime, arms screaming from his battle, carrying Kelpie, and the rain working overtime to try and kill him, the white and gold doors of Cetus loomed in front of him, opening with their usual mechanical ringing. He barely made it inside, the doors shutting just as he ran in, and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Er...she’s going to live, right?” Vauban asked Alad, who was pacing like a caged kavat. He’d brought Kelpie back, remarkably in one piece, a few hours ago, and the moment the ex-Corpus had done what he could for her, he started a mission to make a groove in the floor. He felt his heart compress as he watched Valkyr kneel next to her and cuddle the unconscious Warframe like a mother kavat holds her kitten.

“I...I just don’t know, yet. I’d like to say yes, but…” he paused. “Well, Oberon is doing his best, but Sentients are a different beast altogether.”

“Ask Revenant?” Vauban suggested, trying to give the two of them a bit more hope to cling to.

“M-maybe...I just don’t know. Thank you for bringing her back, at least. I have no idea why you did, since you’re Saryn’s friend but-” 

“Stop stop stop.  _ Was  _ her friend, and even then I was only staying with her in an attempt to control her. I’m done with her.” he shook his head. “She might have cost someone their life. I can’t...I  _ won’t  _ stand for that.”

“...Fair enough. Still, thank you for bringing her back.”

“Of course. Now there’s just one more thing to deal with.”

“And what would that be?”

“Saryn.” 

“Right, what are you going to do about the little parasite?”

“I’m going to take away her prey. That’ll get her attention. Also, be sure to let me know when she wakes up, alright?” 

“I’ll let you know, don’t worry. And I hope that Saryn gets what she deserves.” Alad turned his attention back to the still form on the slab. 

“She will.” Vauban walked out of the lab, into the main part of the relay, and went to find Umbra. He found him talking to Wisp and Ivara, and he pulled him away to talk in private. 

“What is this about, Vauban?” he asked. 

“I need your help.” 

“With what, what’s going on?”

“Saryn is what’s going on. I’m done with this whole charade, and I need backup.”

Umbra thought for a moment before answering. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like you to come with me to talk to her, so that I have some backup. I’m not sure that she’s going to try something, but it’s better safe than sorry, you know? Besides that, I want a witness, and I figured no one better than you.”

“So, you’re done being her guardian then?”

“I was never that, Umbra. I was only trying to do damaged control, as shoddy a job I did of it. I can’t, in good faith, sit and do nothing anymore. Do you know what Kelpie just tried to do? Why she’s hanging onto her life with a fingernail? She tried to fight an Eidolon. All by herself.  _ Because of that wretched witch. _ All because of Saryn.” 

“She...this was her doing? On purpose? She...she actively went out of her way to drag Kelpie down? Are you sure?” Umbra’s one visible eye widened suddenly. “And I just gave her more material to use when I screamed at her, didn’t I?”

Vauban put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like that, she’s the one that took and ran with it the way she did.”

“I still should not have done that, even if she didn’t do anything.”

“Well, it’s in the past now, so how about we go confront her?”

“Yes, it’s about time she got some consequences. Should I bring Fulmin, or not?”

“No, your presence should be intimidating enough. Are you ready?” 

“Yes, let’s go.” 

The pair walked over to where Saryn was sitting, and she looked up as they approached. 

“Well, look who came back, after he said he was done with me.” She turned toward them.

“Don’t give me that, not after what you’ve done.” Vauban crossed his arms. 

“Oh? And what have I done, exactly?” She asked languidly.

“...You do not want to do this right now.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“Saryn, you’re in quite a lot of trouble right now, so you might want to shape up. We have to talk,” Umbra said. 

“Fine. What do you want?” she asked, all semblance of pleasantry leaving her.

“What have you been doing to Kelpie?” 

“Nothing she doesn’t deserve, Umbra.”

“You’re wrong. Dead wrong. In fact, you’re so wrong, that everyone here is going to hear how wrong you are, and everything you’ve done to her.” 

That got the attention of the other Warframes on the relay at the moment. Nidus walked up to them, both pairs of arms crossed. “What’s going on, Umbra?”

“Saryn is just going to tell us how much she hurt Kelpie, and why.”

“No, this is all a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything.” Saryn was starting to lose her cool, not wanting to look bad in front of Nidus.

“Oh, didn’t you? How about when you told her to try and fight a strong enemy alone?  _ You  _ were the one who gave her the stupid,  _ stupid  _ idea to try and solo an Eidolon. How about when you went out of your way to turn others against her? How about when you tried to pin Umbra’s screaming fit on her? How about nearly getting her killed during the fight with Lephntis? How about the constant manipulation of her from day one, picking at her psyche, holding out a hand and having a knife in the other, hidden behind your back? How about making every failure, every normal and predictable failure that a new frame would make, mistakes that  _ you’ve _ made, look like sacrilege when they were nothing more than rookie accidents? You have nothing but lies left to tell, Saryn, and not a single leg to stand on, you have done nothing but your best to make her fall apart, and for what? What did she ever do to you?”

“She isn’t one of us, Vauban. She never will be, no matter how hard you try to make it seem so.”

“ _ I would think that any Warframe that I personally commissioned to be built would be counted among us, Saryn. _ ”

Everyone turned to see the Lotus, in person, standing among them in the relay. There was perfect silence, as personal appearances from her were extremely rare. 

“L-Lotus! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” Saryn began to stutter out, but was cut off.

“ _ I know what you meant, Saryn. Your actions showed your intentions quite clearly, and I do not approve. Who are you to question the place of another frame? _ ”

Saryn said nothing, just clenched her fists.

“Is this true, Saryn? Have you really done all of this?” Nidus asked, abruptly.

“N-Nidus…”

“Did you really do all this for him?” Vauban asked. 

Saryn was silent for a long time, not looking at anyone. Finally, she replied, her voice soft. “N-no, I just…it seemed like everything was working to pull us apart? First he starts getting all close with Equinox, and then Kelpie comes along, and they started to be friends, and...”

Nidus stepped forward and slapped her, the action so unexpected that she was sent reeling, and any hope she might have had for him to still even remotely want her evaporated.

It really helped her realize the full weight of what exactly she’d done, possibly for the first time since she’d started down this road. She didn’t look up as Nidus spoke.

“I always knew you would stoop low, but I never thought you could go this low. Not only are you a slimy, evil little bitch, you're a complete and utter fool to think I'd want to even  _ exist  _ next to someone as disgusting and foul as you, and let me say it is a new level of pathetic to get rejected by the Infested. They take everyone, but even you're too decayed for them. If you were a corpse even the maggots wouldn't touch you. I hate you, and I'd rather pull off my arm and shove it up my own ass than even consider being with you. Kelpie was, is, and always will be better than you ever could be.”

Saryn said nothing. She just stood there, he shoulders hunched over, looking at the floor. After a few moments, she turned, and walked away, head down.

Equinox walked up to Nidus, hugging him tenderly. He didn't shy away like he usually did at any public display of affection, simply letting her hold him.

"You did well, Nidus." 

He didn’t reply, instead just walked off with her, the rest of the crowd breaking up, talking amongst themselves. 

Vauban didn’t notice that the Lotus was gone until he turned around to thank her. So instead, he went up to Umbra.

“Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.”

“It was nothing. I owe Kelpie that much. I have not been as good to her as I should have. Or Excalibur for that matter. I can only hope things improve from here. So, what do we do about Saryn? She might be gone for now, but she’ll come back.”

Vauban rubbed the back of his neck, considering. “Well, I suppose we’ll see. I don’t imagine that the wake-up call we gave her went over well, so she’s got a lot to think about.”

“That’s true...maybe she’ll make an attempt to go back to the way she used to be, although personally, I doubt it. She’s stubborn, and if she does look like she’s changed, there’s a good chance she’s faking it. You know first hand how manipulative she became.” Umbra pointed out.

“Yes, her mind games got really bad, especially recently. I just...if she changes, I want to believe that it’s real, but...judging by her past, logically speaking, there’s not a good way to be sure that she’s not lying.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Could I...could you take me to see Kelpie?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’d like to come as well if you don’t mind.” Nidus piped up, Equinox’s arm entwined with one of his, Ember behind them. “Her as well.” 

“Of course, though I’m not sure how Alad will feel about it. Maybe just a couple in the room at a time, that way he doesn’t have an aneurysm.”

Contrary to what he assumed, Alad was willing to let them all see her. Garuda and Ivara were already there, talking with Valkyr, who hadn’t let go of Kelpie since Vauban had been there earlier. 

Alad was close to tears when they came, and was still pacing a groove into the floor. Valkyr wasn’t in the best shape either, making soft noises to Kelpie, reminiscent of a mother kavat. Ivara and Garuda were doing their best to keep the both of them somewhat sane. Umbra hugged Garuda gently from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. 

“Has she moved at all, or anything, Alad?” Nidus asked him, concerned.

“N-no, she’s still…” He broke off, putting his head in his hands. “Oberon did what he could, but she’s still out. He went to take a breather, and should be back soon.”

“Alright. How about you? Are you holding up alright?” He walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hanging in there.” he said, rubbing his eyes, which were slightly bloodshot, the bruise on his face in the process of changing colors. 

“I’m sure that she’ll wake up and be fine, Alad. She’s a tough girl.”

Alad simply nodded, not responding. 

Umbra looked over at Valkyr, who was still cuddling Kelpie. “Valkyr, may I ask why you’re doing...what you’re doing?”

She didn’t look up, instead simply held her tighter. “I-I’m...she’s...my kitten. I can’t help her.”

“It’s not your fault Valkyr.”

“Y-yeah, but...I should have been there, done something, anything…” She tucked her head into Kelpie’s shoulder, trying to not break down in front of everyone. 

“What happened is in the past now. Wishing things were different won’t change that. It’s okay, Valkyr. She’ll be ok.”

“But what if she’s not. I’ll never get to tell her…” she didn't finish the thought, nuzzling Kelpie and shivering. Umbra knelt next to her, stroking her back.

They all stayed like that for some time, talking quietly, speculating about Saryn, and hoping Kelpie would wake up. She was still as a corpse, with only the slight rise of and fall of her chest letting them know she was still alive. Eventually Oberon came back with Revenant and shooed them all out, except for Valkyr who refused to leave her daughter.

The paladin found them a few hours later, still huddled together and talking.

“It looks like she’ll wake up soon. Her breathing’s eased and she’s less tense. She’ll live.” 

At this news, the group relaxed, and the tension in the air released. “How long, do you think, before she wakes up?” Vauban asked.

Revenant sighed. “It’s hard to say for sure. Maybe all she needs is sleep, and she’ll wake up in the morning. Maybe it’ll take a month or more. But hopefully she’ll be up and about soon enough.” 

“I suppose that’s all we can ask for, in good conscience. Thanks for telling us.”

“It’s no problem. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t eager for her to wake up, myself. She wasn’t a bad girl. However, I’m afraid all we can really do now is wait.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alad?”

He looked up to see Michi in the doorway, a worried expression on her face. 

“Michi. How are you?” he asked, eyes focussing back onto the floor.

“I’m fine, but you obviously aren’t. I came to see if you wanted some company.” 

“I’m not good company right now.”

“Don’t worry about that. Somehow I feel you’d rather not be alone right now.” 

He sighed in defeat. “You’ve got good instinct, I’ll give you that.”

Michi walked over and sat down next to him, concern written across her face. After a moment, she put an arm across his shoulders, and he leaned into her. They stayed like that for quite some time, with Alad eventually falling asleep on her shoulder. Watching him gave her a strange, warm, happy feeling she couldn’t quite put a finger on.

Suddenly, Michi heard a break in Kelpie’s breathing pattern, and looked up to see her beginning to stir. She shook Alad, trying to wake him up. The man was not an elegant riser. 

“Kelpie’s waking up.” she whispered.   


“Wha-oh shit!” He leapt up, and was by Kelpie’s side in moments. He tenderly held one of her hands in his as she groggily tried to sit up.

“...Dad? What happened? Why am I here? I thought the Eidolon…” she didn’t finish the thought.

“Vauban found you, and brought you back. Oh Kelpie…” he hugged her tightly. “Kelpie, Kelpie, Kelpie, I thought I’d lost you.”

Kelpie looked around. “Valkyr? What are you doing here?”

“Don’t mind me, I’m just keeping watch.” she said softly. She squeezed Kelpie’s shoulder gently before leaving, the only sound coming from her claws tapping on the floor.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Kelpie turned back to face him, confused. 

“Do you not remember? The Hydrolyst?”

“I do remember. I thought it was going to...going to…”

“Kill you?” 

She nodded.

Alad hugged her tightly. “Oh, Kelpie…I’m sorry things went this wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t notice how much it was hurting you.”

“Dad...I didn’t want to...come back.” Her voice broke up as she continued. “I meant to just...go down fighting. I...I’m not a real Warframe, I never will be. I’m tired of people talking behind my back, I’m tired of constantly failing, I’m tired of constantly letting you and Lotus down when you both put too much faith in me.”

“Shh, Kelpie don’t say that. You’re just as much of a Warframe as the rest of them, and you’ve never let me down. Regardless of what you think, I’d rather have you around. I’d rather have you alive.”

“I just...what am I going to do? Nobody wants me around, not now. I’m not worth the trouble.”

“Kelpie, they do want you around. Saryn’s been taken care of. You do have friends here. And you’ll always have me.”

“Wait, what happened to Saryn?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“She got a chewing out she won’t soon forget, and I don’t think she’ll be bugging you anymore.”

“S-she won’t?” A small bit of hope began to rise in Kelpie’s chest. Maybe things might turn out okay, after all.

“No, she left, and now everyone knows what she did to you. She isn’t a threat to you.” Alad hugged her again. “I’m so glad that you’re alive, Kelpie.”

She said nothing, content to let herself be held. 


	32. Epilogue: And The Water Lilies Bloom Once More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And all is well, for now.

“Are you feeling better?” Valkyr asked, her head tilted to the side slightly, like an inquisitive kavat. That was something Kelpie rather liked about her. Some found her feline mannerisms weird, but she thought they were quite cute, and made the otherwise very intimidating frame much more approachable. 

“I’m doing alright, I guess. Dad says that I’ll be up and around within a couple of weeks.” Kelpie sat up, looking at her. “He also said you wanted to talk to me.”   
  
“Yeah I…I have to tell you something.”

“Well, don’t keep me waiting,” she said, swinging her legs over the side of the operating table she was resting on. “What is it?”

Valkyr took a deep breath. “I won’t even call it a roundabout way. Alad used my eggs to make you. You’re...you’re my daughter.”

“...What?” She was lost for words.

“I know, it’s a lot to take in, and it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Ask him yourself.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but...I never thought that I had a genetic mother. Dad only said that he used several different samples of blood to create me, so I never thought of any one of them as a mother, I really only gave that to Lotus. But now…”

“Yeah, I know, it’s strange to think about. Personally, I’m quite pleased about it, now that I’ve actually had time to let it sink in. You’re my kitten.”

“I-I’m your...kitten?” Kelpie was filled with a delightful new feeling. “You mean, you’ll accept me, in that way?”

Valkyr walked over to her, and gave her a warm hug. “Of course I do, Kelpie. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Kelpie returned her hug and sat back, still trying to process everything. “So why did you give Dad that massive bruise then?”   
  
“Oh, that? I uh...heh, I may have lost my temper a bit when I first found out. Er...Saryn told me, and you can probably guess how that went.”

She shivered at the mention of that name. “Yeah...yeah, I can see that. Do you...know what happened to her?”   
  
“Got chewed out by Vauban, Umbra and Nidus in front of everyone, Nidus slapped her and she ran away, haven’t seen her since. Well, Gara said she’s seen her climbing around the seaside cliffs around Cetus and Eidolon, but she hasn’t said a word to anyone other than that.”

Kelpie was silent for a while, still nervous and unsure surrounding anything to do with Saryn. “Do...do you think she’ll come back?”

Valkyr sat down next to her, and pulled her in close. “If she does, we’re all here for you. But, between you and me, she’d be foolish to try and show up again without changing her attitude. I knew her before she started going down hill and she was...not at all like this.”

She nestled into her mother’s embrace, feeling more safe and comfortable right there than she had in a long while. After some time, she looked up at her. “Just...you’ll be here, right? For me?”

“Of course I will, Kelpie.” Valkyr rubbed her back, mewing softly to her kitten.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well if it isn’t my favorite mucker. Haven’t seen you in...four months! Where have you been, and where did you get the new threads?” Zuud asked, as she clapped Alad on the shoulder, then standing back to get a better look at the long black coat he was now wearing in place of the gaudy piece of Corpus fashion he previously donned.

“Er...my girlfriend got it for me when we got together.”

“Did she now? When did that happen, and why was I left out of it?” she asked, with mock rage. 

“W-well, I...uh…” Alad stuttered.

“Ha! Just giving you crap. It’s about time you found yourself a lady. Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding.”

“We’ve only been together for a month and a half.”

“Regardless, you’d better give me one, especially after you were gone for ages without so much as a peep. Chatter kept insisting you were getting fucked by the Sentients, but what does Chatter know?”

“Not much, considering that is not even close to what I was doing. In simple terms, I was picking up collateral damage. I’ve been taking care of Kelpie for the last few months, because she got bodied by an Eidolon.”

“Damn...she’s better now?”

“Physically, yes.”

“How about her noggin? Is she still all in one piece up there?” she asked, tapping the side of her head.

“Well...she’s still perfectly sane but...she’s a complete nervous wreck now. She can barely leave my side without freezing up, and there’s a very short list of others she’s willing to see without trying to hide. It’s improving, but very slowly, and any mention of Saryn...does not go over well, now that everything that happened to her has had time to settle in.”

“Well, you’ve done right by her. I’m sure that she’ll come out just fine, she’s a resilient little thing. And how’s Ragnarok treating you?”

“Works like a charm. There was a bit of an incident, I blew Ash’s kneecap out, he screamed like a little girl and it was hilarious.”

“You...you shot a Warframe in the knee?”

“Oh he’s fine, Oberon fixed him up.”

“That’s good, then.”

“Speaking of, there’s something I wanted to ask you. It’s why I’m here, as much as I like chatting with you.”

“Well, here I thought you merely enjoyed my company. What is it?”

“Well I’m the only one having a good time with this abomination of a firearm. Some of my more hazardous colleges are taking an interest in them, and that gave me an idea. What would you think of some of the frames commissioning custom firearms?”

“Well…” Surprisingly, Zuud went quiet. After a moment, she spoke again. “It wouldn’t be free, and we couldn’t do more than a couple at a time. They would take time, and I also have a business to run. That being said, it was ridiculously fun to make that, so I don’t see why not.”

Alad patted her shoulder. “I know of at least a few frames that will be glad to hear that. I’ll be sure to tell them it’ll be a while, don’t worry.” 

“Glad to be doing business with you, but now it’s my turn to ask the questions.”

“Of course.”

“Where did  _ you,  _ of all people, get a girlfriend?”

“Oh come on, not you too! Why is everyone asking me that?”

Zuud laughed, delighted. “Because it’s fun to embarrass you, and besides, you’ve always been the eternal bachelor. But suddenly, out of nowhere, you’ve got a girl. What happened?”

“Well...her name’s Michi, she’s a Tenno operative, and we used to hate each other. Then she, for some reason, decided to help me through a little mental breakdown, and here we are.”

“What? You’re not pulling my leg, are ya?”

Alad sighed. “No, Zuud, I’m not.”

“Well, serves you right. It’s a big decision, not one to be taken lightly. I’m sure you’ll do just fine, though. And hey, now I can put all my attention on convincing Biz and Eudico to go the same route.”

“Biz and Eudico?”

“He likes her, she likes him, neither of them will admit it, they’re both stupid.”

“Well, it takes time, I can say that for sure. And besides, they need to admit it to themselves, first.”

“Michi can’t be that out of your league, can she?”

“What? N-no, I mean...I like her, she likes me, and that’s that. But maybe it’s not that simple for Biz and Eudico.”

“Well, you’re probably right.” She reached out her hand, and Alad took it.

“Thanks for being my friend, Zuud. And I know that sounds incredibly juvenile to say but...I mean, most people I could even consider myself on good terms with are Warframes who could snap me in half with their little finger.” 

“Well, are you saying I can’t?” she asked, stepping closer to him. Alad took an involuntary step back, before Zuud laughed again. “I’m just messing with you, but on a serious note, that means a lot to me. Come pay me more visits, yeah?”

“Don’t worry, Zuud. I’ll be here.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oberon stood on the only above-water part of Titania, his insides in the process of tying themselves in knots. He knew why he’d come, but that didn’t stop him from feeling extremely nervous about it.

“Clem!”

He looked over to see Clem pointing. “Yes, I know you’re excited to see him again. Let’s go.”

Clem nodded and happily trotted after Oberon as he led them deeper into the lab, hoping Tyl wouldn’t wreck him before he had a chance to explain.

Suddenly, they almost barreled into a Kuva Lich walking around a corner. Immediately, she stepped back and brought her Kuva Chakkhurr around. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Oberon and Clem raised their hands. “My name is Oberon, and this is Clem. We’ve come to talk to Tyl.”

The lich glared at them suspiciously. “What about?”

“It’s a...private matter. Apologies, miss.”

“Clem!” 

Her expression softened when she noticed the little lancer. She moved closer to him, putting her weapon down, and looked him over. “So, what happened to you?”

“Clem!” 

“What?” She looked at Oberon, confused.

“I’m sorry, miss, I have no idea. We call him that because it’s one of two words he says, the other being ‘grakata’, of which he uses two. As far as I know there’s only one person who understands him, and he refused to come. Clem’s here to see Tyl Regor as well.”

She sighed. “Well, I might as well take you, against my better judgement. You haven’t touched anything, have you?”

Oberon shook his head. “No, we just wandered around, kind of lost. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here last.” 

“Good. Who knows what might have happened, otherwise. By the way, my name is Kuda Delgis, but you will refer to me as Delgis. Alright?”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Clem!”

After a moment, she nodded. “Follow me.”

She set a quick pace, leading them through the many long hallways and corridors, past soldiers, and through vacant rooms. Oberon tried to ignore the nasty looks he got, not a doubt in his mind that they’d take him down if Delgis hadn’t been their escort. Eventually, they arrived at a room, where they were told to wait while their guide disappeared inside. 

Some time later, the door opened again, and they were ushered inside. Oberon and Clem saw Tyl leaning against a table, looking at them. Finally, he spoke.

“Kuda tells me that you’ve come to speak with me. If this is false, I’ll give you this one chance to walk out, and leave.”

“We’ve only come to talk, Regor,” Oberon said, making a placating gesture. The Grineer nodded.

“Good. I don’t want the hassle of a fight right now. Dakik! Take Danya and go see how Kila, Jurag, and Jarug are doing.”

“Yes, Dagh.” Dakik nodded at Danya, and they left. 

After waiting a moment, Tyl spoke again. “Alright, Oberon. Why are you here? Why, after all this time, after everything you’ve done, would you come back?”

“I came because...I need to apologize,” he said, a small waver in his voice. 

“Oh, is that right? What is it that you need to get off your chest so badly, that you’d risk me attacking you on sight?” Tyl said, more curious than angry.

“There is...no way for me to justify what I did. To this day I can’t really fathom why I did it. I’ve regretted it for a while, because once the battle adrenaline wears off, you look over your shoulder at everything you did, and you realize some of you really wasn’t necessary. I don’t take the same kind of pleasure in killing that some of my comrades do. I don’t go out of my way to hunt down and kill everything in my path. This is so out of character that even I’m surprised. And there’s really nothing I can do but ask forgiveness to somehow ease my soul and hope I didn’t cause anything that was unmendable.”

Tyl didn’t speak at first, only looked at him, arms crossed. He wasn’t sure what to do, if he was honest. On the one hand, he’d caused Danya a lot of grief, and robbed her of a quality of life that she’d never experience. But on the other, he seemed to be genuinely sorry, repentant even. Before he could say something, the frame spoke again.

“What happened to that Tubeman, maybe I ask?” the deer-like frame inquired.

“Well her spine was more bent out of shape than Vay Hek trying to think, and her right leg is shorter than her left, but that, at least, I managed to fix.”

“Does that mean that there’s something you couldn't fix?” he asked, worried.

“Oh, yeah. You do a very efficient job when you decide to wreck someone. You didn’t just screw her up physically. Your jostling of the tube made her brain wobble in her head, and she never grew out of the small child phase. She’s a capable fighter, and is well-respected. But she’s in this weird...halfway point between a child and an adult, mentally. She’s stuck to my side like glue, or if I’m not around, then to Dakik. She doesn't have the same capabilities for reasoning and logical decision making that the other Tubemen have, all her responses are filled with emotion, and it gets in the way of her seeing things clearly. I have to keep her around me because of this, I have to constantly have an eye on her, because she might do something incredibly stupid and hurt herself, or someone else. And that, that is something that I can’t ever fix. You’ve injured her in a way that’s impossible to repair.”

“Does she know she’s not supposed to be like this?”

“No, and I plan on keeping it that way. There’s nothing to be gained from telling her. It might actually screw her up more if she knew. The most I can do is care for her the best I can, and try to give her a decent life.”

“Would...could I meet her? I mean, if that’s not too much trouble.”

Tyl took a deep breath. “Why?”

“I...I’d like to see if I could heal her. I don’t know if it will work on someone who’s not a Warframe, but I feel like I should at least try.”

“Well, it may be worth a shot. But, I will tell her exactly who you are, first. What if she refuses to see you?”

“I...then let it be that way, I guess. Maybe that would be for the better.”

“I’ll leave it up to her.” Tyl messaged Dakik to bring her back, and he stepped out to speak with her. After several minutes, he came back in, followed by Danya. She gave Oberon a short glance before moving behind her Dagh, almost trying to hide, and he immediately understood what Regor had described.  _ Just like a little girl...  _

“Dagh…” Danya gripped his hand tightly.

Tyl bent down and talked to her. “It’s okay to be scared, Danya. But I’m right here, and I’ll make sure that nothing goes wrong.”    
  


Danya stared at Oberon from behind Tyl, while the frame made sure that he stayed far enough away to not scare her. Suddenly, she spoke.

“Dagh says that you want to try to heal me. Why?” 

Oberon thought for a moment. “I’d like to relieve myself of what I did, and I suppose that this is my way of doing that.”

“You...you feel bad about hurting me?” 

He nodded. “Yes, I really do. I wouldn’t normally do that, and...I don’t know. After all this time, I still don’t have a reason for it. It’s weighed on my mind for a long while, and I’d like a chance to make it right.”

Danya looked up at Tyl for some kind of reassurance. He nodded, and she hugged his leg before slowly walking over to Oberon. 

“I can’t promise it will work, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

Danya nodded. With that go-ahead, he raised his hands, and cast Renewal on her. The green glow surrounded her, which faded after a minute. Oberon’s hands dropped.    
  


“How do you feel, Danya?” he asked, apprehensive. 

“I don’t feel any different.” She looked up at her Dagh. Tyl came over and hugged her, before addressing the frame. 

“I commend you for trying to help, Oberon. I would have never expected something like that, especially not from a Warframe.”

“I wanted it to work, but...I’m sorry, Danya. I suppose that it only works on other Warframes or myself.”

“Thank you for trying, Oberon.” Both of them turned, surprised that Danya had spoken. 

“You’re welcome, Danya. Thank you for giving me the chance.” She bobbed her head, and he turned to leave, before remembering something. 

“Clem.”    
  


“Yes. Regor, Clem also wanted to speak with you.”

“Oh, did he? I’d be glad to. Actually...I think I’ve seen him before.”

“Clem!” 

“He helped Alad snatch your tube a while back.”

“Clem, clem!” he nodded.

“Ah, yes! I thought you were out of place. I don’t suppose that Alad will be bringing it back anytime soon?”

“Clem.” He shook his head emphatically.

“I thought not. Damn jellyfish.”

“Clem!” he nodded again, in agreement or something else, it was hard to tell.

Suddenly, Danya spoke up. 

“Danya!”

“Clem!” He reached out his hand, and she shook it.

“Dagh, he’s so cute! Can we keep him?” she begged Tyl. He looked at her with a mix of fatherly affection and sadness. 

Behind them, Oberon cleared his throat. Tyl took the hint. 

“No, but I’m sure that he’ll be back, and you can see each other then. Right, Oberon?”

“Right.”

“See, nothing to worry about. You’ll be back, right Clem?”   
  
“Clem!” he nodded and hugged Danya. She reciprocated.

Internally, Oberon breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. He was immensely glad that they liked Clem, as it usually went either way, and he was glad he had made up for the wrong he’d done Danya, even if he couldn’t repair what he broke. 

Sometimes it was the thought that counted, and the attempt to make it right.   
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alad stood on his usual spot at the edge of Larunda, watching the distant stars glitter and shine with their pale, cold light. It was a sight that never failed to impress him, and he often found himself coming out and lingering for a while.

“So, the storm’s over, eh?” Umbra asked, coming up behind him, settling on his left.

“Yeah, for now. I have no doubt there’ll be something else coming up, but...for now, enjoy the peace. And you can go back to peacefully goofing off with Garuda in storage closets.”

“It was  _ one  _ time Alad.” 

“Just saying.” 

The two stood in comfortable silence, watching the sky for a while.

“So, are you ready for everything to go tits up again?” Umbra asked cheerfully.

“Nope! Don’t tempt fate, maybe if you keep your trap shut, nothing will happen.”

“I doubt it, but you never know. But just in case...” 

“Maybe we’ll all be ready for it this time.” Alad said, almost to himself. They fell quite again, with him being grateful that the days were getting to be good ones again. Umbra clapped him on the shoulder.

“You turned out a lot better than I expected you to.”

“Thanks, Umbra. You too.”

They stood there, as better men, marveling at how far they'd come. Things could get better, if just given the change and the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and stick around, cause the next story in the Saga of Steel is coming soon.


End file.
